Social Work Scholarship: Authorship Over Time

Abstract

This article examines whether authorship credits on publications in 8 peer-reviewed social work journals changed significantly from 2001 to 2011 by analyzing the mean number of authors. Results indicate statistically significant increases in 5 of the 8 journals and in the mean number of authors across the 8 journals when combined. Although sole authorship was the norm in 2001, by 2011 the majority of articles were co-authored. Possible explanations for the observed changes in the rates of collaboration and some consequences for social work scholarship are reviewed. Implications for social work education and scholarship are discussed.