Accounting for influence: Acknowledgments in contemporary sociology

Abstract

The scale and significance of acknowledgment behavior in ten highly ranked sociology journals over a 10-year period is analyzed. Almost three quarters of all articles (N = 4200) included an acknowledgment statement; more than half included an acknowledgment attesting to peer interactive communication. Functional and symbolic parallels between acknowledgment and citation are discussed. Almost 5000 individuals were explicitly acknowledged. Only a few were highly acknowledged. No correlation was found between frequency of acknowledgment and frequency of citation. Nor was there a correlation between frequency of acknowledgment and time-in-field as measured from date of terminal degree. The case for incorporating acknowledgment data into the academic audit process, along with more established bibliometric indicators, such as publication and citation counts, is considered. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.