Trends in Authorship in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (1946–2024) and 100 Pharmaceutical Journals (2021–2024)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated authorship trends in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE) from 1946 to 2024. It also examined the relationship between author growth rate and CiteScore across leading pharmaceutical science journals during 2021-2024. METHODS: Phase 1 analyzed 4095 AJPE articles (3697 originals; 398 reviews) indexed in Scopus. Publications were grouped by era to assess changes in the average number of authors per article. Phase 2 examined 100 leading pharmaceutical journals (2021-2024), selected by publication volume. Data on publication count, total citations, authorship, and author growth rate were collected. Linear regression assessed the association between author growth (independent variable) and CiteScore (dependent variable). RESULTS: AJPE showed a steady rise in authorship, from 1.48 authors/article before 2000 to 3.50 in 2021-2024. In the broader pharmaceutical field (phase 2) 150,774 papers yielded 1,438,377 citations, with average citations per article dropping from 16.4 in 2021 to 2.7 in 2024, reflecting citation lag. Among 100 journals, 137,717 papers involved 677,141 authors; 57 journals had increasing authorship. However, regression analysis of 68 journals found no significant association between author growth and CiteScore. The regression coefficient was near zero. CONCLUSION: AJPE data confirm a decades-long rise in collaborative publishing.
Institutions: Jazan University, University of Peshawar
Language: English
Subfield: Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,400
Funder: National Institutes of Health
OpenAlex ID: W7160509355