Psychology of the Scientist: LXX. Increase in the Number of Authors per Article in Leading Management Journals: 1967–1992

Abstract

The present analysis is of the average number of authors per article in eight leading management journals over the past 25 years. Data were obtained from the journals in 5-yr. increments, beginning in 1967 and ending in 1992. For the selected years the number of authors per article in each issue of the journals was recorded. A significant increase in authors per article was found, with the average number of authors per article increasing by 39.5% from 1.33 in 1967 to 1.86 in 1992. Increases occurred in all journals sampled, but the increase varied by journal. The Harvard Business Review had the smallest increase of 12.3% while the Academy of Management Journal had the largest increase of 70.4%. Possible reasons for the increase in number of authors per article, e.g., pressure to “publish or perish,” relaxed standards of authorship, and greater complexity of research in management, their implications for the academic reward system, and directions for future research are discussed.