Authorship Trends in the American Journal of Health Education: 1996-2006

Background: Publication is the primary means of contributing to and establishing credibility within the scientific community. Some researchers have reported an increase in the average number of authors per manuscript for some scholarly journals in the past two decades. Whereas author proliferation may be warranted in some cases, other reasons for increasing the overall number of authors per manuscript may have more dubious motives, including gratuitous authorship for embellishing curriculum vitae. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was evidence of authorship proliferation in the American Journal of Health Education during 1996-2006. In addition, other selected authorship information was identified. Methods: A content analysis of original articles published from January 1996 through December 2006 (N= 755) was performed. Results: There has not been a statistically significant change in the number of authors per manuscript for the time period studied. Discussion: Although no significant change in number of authors was found, other investigative methods may be necessary to estimate the practice of gratuitous authorship. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators should be cognizant of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship and endeavor to ensure that all authors meet these criteria.