Thomson Scientific Takes a Fresh Look at Multiaut...( Was 2005 a Fluke for Multiauthor ...),Health

Was 2005 a Fluke for Multiauthor Papers or a Sign of What's to Come?

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, today announced the results of a study assessing trends in multiauthor papers. In the November/December issue of Science Watch, Thomson Scientific analyzes data from its Thomson Science Indicators to evaluate the number of papers with more than 50, 100, 200 and 500 authors between the years 1993 to 2006. Science Watch uses unique citation data to provide rankings, interviews and reports on today's most significant science.

The numbers of scientific papers published with more than 50, 100, 200 and 500 authors plateaued from 2000 to 2003, then experienced a sharp increase in 2005. That year, each group reached its all-time highest levels. More than 750 papers with 50 or more authors were published in 2005, compared with a little more than 500 the previous year. Papers with more than 100 authors grew by more than 50 percent from 200 from just over 300 in 2003 to an impressive 475 in 2005. Interestingly, papers with 500 or more authors increased from 40 in 2003 to 131 in 2005. This group saw the largest jump of all -- a 200 percent increase.

While 2005 saw great leaps in the total number of multiauthor papers, most of the totals for the assorted groupings of multiauthor papers showed a decline during 2006 -- the most recent year of available data.

"In a few years we will be able to look back and see if the multiauthor papers reached a zenith in 2005 or if this is an ongoing trend," said Christopher Ki
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