Patterns of authorship among chairmen of departments of medicine

Abstract

Background: This study examines changes in the authorship patterns of chairmen of medicine departments from 1979 through 1990, a time when criteria for authorship were widely debated among medical journal editors. Chairmen were selected to be studied because, due to their leadership position and stature, they are likely to "set the example" for many scholars in the academic medicine community.

Method: Computerized literature searches were conducted for all 233 persons who were chairmen during at least one year of the 12-year study period (1979-1990) to determine the average number of publications per chairman per year, the average number of coauthors per article published, the location of the chairman on the published list of authors, and other pertinent data required for a thorough analysis of authorship practices. Statistical methods included repeated-measure analysis, sensitivity analyses, and the use of linear models to analyze trends over time.

Results: Among all the chairmen, there was no statistically significant decrease in the average number of articles per year for which the chairmen were last authors, and there was a significant increase in the average number of coauthors per year on published articles. However, factors such as length of chairmanship, frequency of publication, and academic position (i.e., chair, pre-chair, or post-chair) were found to influence patterns of authorship; for example, the 61 individuals who were chairmen for ten years or more had a significant decrease in the number of last-author articles, whereas the 172 individuals who were chairmen for fewer than ten years had a significant increase.

Conclusion: Changes in the definition of authorship by medical journal editors did not seem to be important influences on the authorship patterns of the chairmen, since the chairmen did not significantly decrease the number of articles for which they were the last authors, and they significantly increased the number of coauthors of their articles.