Abstract
Scholars (n = 580) from 69 countries who had contributed articles in the field of Economics during the year 2015 participated in a survey that gauged their perceptions of various aspects of co-authorship, including its benefits, motivations, working relationships, order of authorship and association preferences. Among the main findings, significant differences emerged in the proportion of co-authored papers based on age, gender and number of years the researchers had spent in their present institution. Female scholars had a greater proportion of co-authored papers than male scholars. Respondents considered improved quality of paper, contribution of mutual expertise, and division of labor as the biggest benefits of and motivation for co-authorship. Contrary to common perceptions that Economics researchers used a predominantly alphabetical order of authorship, our study found that a considerable percentage of respondents (34.5%) had practiced an order of authorship based on the significance of the authors’ contribution to the work. The relative importance of tasks differed significantly according to whether researchers co-authored as mentors or co-authored as colleagues. Lastly, researchers were found to associate, to varying degrees, with other researchers based on socio-academic parameters, such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, professional position and friendship. The study indicates that Economics authors perceive co-authorship as a rewarding endeavor. Nonetheless, the level of contribution and even the choice of association itself as a co-author depends to a great extent on the type of working relationship and socio-academic factors.
Highlights
In recent years, a large body of literature has used secondary data obtained from international databases to understand co-authorship behavior among scholars
Contrary to common perceptions that Economics researchers used a predominantly alphabetical order of authorship, our study found that a considerable percentage of respondents (34.5%) had practiced an order of authorship based on the significance of the authors’ contribution to the work
Significant differences in the proportion of co-authored papers was observed among respondents based on age, gender and the number of years they had spent in their present institution
Summary
A large body of literature has used secondary data obtained from international databases to understand co-authorship behavior among scholars. Scientists may decide to collaborate with scientists with whom they are already acquainted, knowing well their ability to carry out a particular research project. In another scenario, prospective collaborators can meet at conferences or at other forums and form an "invisible college" [5]. Prospective collaborators can meet at conferences or at other forums and form an "invisible college" [5] These informal exchanges may lead scholars to find a shared interest in a topic and to make a decision to collaborate on a research paper. Various reasons could bring a group of researchers together
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