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A note on the topic of single-author articles in science

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  • Petr Praus

    (VSB-Technical University of Ostrava)

Abstract

It is now common practice for scientists to collaborate in teams and publish multi-author articles. Consequently, the number of single-author articles has been declining. This decline was assumed to follow an exponential model, which was verified using data from various research areas, including Engineering, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities and the Arts, for the period from 2000 to 2023. In the fields of Engineering and Natural Sciences, the number of co-authors has consistently increased over time. Conversely, in Social Sciences and Humanities & the Arts, single-author articles continue to prevail over multi-author ones. Single-author articles were evaluated based on the number of references and the ranking of the journals in which they were published. In the field of Theatre, most articles contained up to 20 references. However, in fields such as Chemical Engineering, Biology, and Economics, the majority of articles had between 20 and 60 references. In 2023, more than 25% of single-author articles in Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering, Economics, History, Law, Biology, Immunology, Mathematics, and Astronomy & Astrophysics were published in Q1 journals. This study provides an exploration of the scientific literature across selected research areas. It demonstrates that single-author articles are unlikely to disappear entirely, as individual researchers continue to pursue independent research and publication.

Suggested Citation

  • Petr Praus, 2025. "A note on the topic of single-author articles in science," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 130(5), pages 3071-3088, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:130:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s11192-025-05315-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-025-05315-0
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