Trends in Authorship Characteristics in The American Journal of Sports Medicine , 2014 to 2024: A Follow-up Analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: 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 (χ 2 [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) (χ 2 [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 (χ 2 [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.
Language: English
Subfield: Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7127924043