Authorship and citation patterns in operational research journals in relation to competition and reform

Authorship and citation patterns in major journals in operational research (OR) are analysed. As a forerunner of interdisciplinary specialties applying mathematical or quantitative methods to social problems, OR has recently been in severe competition with new challengers with respect to applicable methods and real implementation. Through the analyses of authorship and citation patterns, this paper discusses behaviours of the journal editors and contributors with regard to the competition and reform policy of OR journals.