Trends in authorship characteristics in the American journal of sports medicine, 2014 to 2024: a follow-up analysis
Background: Authorship patterns in medical journals continue to evolve with expanding team science, academic incentives, and updated authorship guidance. Previous American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM) work (1994-2014) reported rising author counts and a growing share of international contributo...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Article (Journal) |
| Lenguaje: | inglés |
| Publicado: |
February 6, 2026
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| In: |
The American journal of sports medicine
Year: 2026, Volumen: 54, Número: 3, Pages: 705-711 |
| ISSN: | 1552-3365 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/03635465251410592 |
| Acceso en línea: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465251410592 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03635465251410592 
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| Notas de Autor: | Michael Nocek, BA; Alan D. Villegas Meza, BA; Caroline B. Herrmann, BA; Nolan A. Kim, Tyler J. Uppstrom, MD; Lorenz Fritsch, MD; Ayham Jaber, MD; Eric C. McCarty, MD; Peter J. Millett, MD, MSc |
| Sumario: | Background: Authorship patterns in medical journals continue to evolve with expanding team science, academic incentives, and updated authorship guidance. Previous American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM) work (1994-2014) reported rising author counts and a growing share of international contributors. - Hypothesis/Purpose: To update AJSM authorship trends (2014, 2019, 2020, and 2024) and test whether the past decade shows greater mean authors per article, more international and/or academic groups, and a higher proportion of nonphysician first authors. - Study Design: Cross-sectional bibliometric analysis. - Methods: We reviewed AJSM articles in 2014, 2019, 2020, and 2024 via the journal archive; editorials, letters, society news, and corrigenda were excluded. For each article, we recorded the first/last author's highest degree and sex, the number of authors, country (United States vs international), and institution type (academic vs nonacademic). Articles with >20 authors were excluded. Differences across years were tested with a chi-square test (Bonferroni-adjusted α = .0083) and a 1-way analysis of variance with the Tukey honest significant difference post hoc test. - Results: A total of 1482 articles met the inclusion criteria (2014: n = 336; 2019: n = 383; 2020: n = 383; and 2024: n = 380). Article volume did not differ significantly across years (χ2[3] = 4.30; P = .23). From 2014 to 2024, article volume increased by 13.1%. Mean authors per article increased from 5.82 (2014) to 6.47 (2019), 6.55 (2020), and 7.02 (2024) (F[3,1470] = 15.69; P < .0001); all but the 2019 versus 2020 pairwise contrasts were significant. International groups increased from 42.6% (2014) to 51.3% (2024) (χ2[3] = 8.92; P = .03). No pairwise comparison met the Bonferroni threshold (α =.0083); the lowest P value was .0097 (2014 vs 2019). Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science first authorship rose (χ2[3] = 13.78; P = .003), reaching 9% (2020) and 11% (2024). Sex distributions for first and last authors did not change (all P > .05). Twelve articles exceeded the >20-author cutoff and were excluded. - Conclusion: From 2014 to 2024, AJSM authorship shows expanding team size, increased international participation, and a higher proportion of bachelor’s-level first authors—largely medical trainees—while sex representation remained stable. These patterns underscore the need for transparent contributorship and mentorship to maintain rigor as collaboration intensifies. |
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| Notas: | Gesehen am 08.06.2026 |
| Descripción Física: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1552-3365 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/03635465251410592 |