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How many authors are (too) many? A retrospective, descriptive analysis of authorship in biomedical publications

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Jakab

    (Paracelsus Medical University)

  • Eva Kittl

    (Paracelsus Medical University)

  • Tobias Kiesslich

    (Paracelsus Medical University
    University Hospital Salzburg, Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Paracelsus Medical University)

Abstract

Publishing in academic journals is primary to disseminate research findings, with authorship reflecting a scientist’s contribution, yielding academic recognition, and carrying significant financial implications. Author numbers per article have consistently risen in recent decades, as demonstrated in various journals and fields. This study is a comprehensive analysis of authorship trends in biomedical papers from the NCBI PubMed database between 2000 and 2020, utilizing the Entrez Direct (EDirect) E-utilities to retrieve bibliometric data from a dataset of 17,015,001 articles. For all publication types, the mean author number per publication significantly increased over the last two decades from 3.99 to 6.25 (+ 57%, p

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Jakab & Eva Kittl & Tobias Kiesslich, 2024. "How many authors are (too) many? A retrospective, descriptive analysis of authorship in biomedical publications," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(3), pages 1299-1328, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:129:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s11192-024-04928-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-024-04928-1
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