Coauthorship Trends in the Field of Management: Facts and Perceptions

We explore the perceptions, preferences, and motivations that contribute to a widely recognized phenomenon: the continuous rise of coauthorship within the field of management. Using data from Web of Science, we first confirm that the average number of authors on published papers has steadily and continuously increased over the last 4 decades and compare this trend across subfields and journals. We also conduct a survey, asking management researchers about their perceptions of coauthorship trends and their reactions to specific authorship scenarios. Comparing the “facts” and the “perceptions” of coauthorship, we suggest that the increase in coauthorship in management reflects not only quality considerations and the need for collaborations, but also instrumental motivations. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for the processes of peer evaluation and education in management.