Trends in Authorship Characteristics in <i>The American Journal of Sports Medicine</i>, 2014 to 2024: A Follow-up Analysis.

Abstract

Authorship patterns in medical journals continue to evolve with expanding team science, academic incentives, and updated authorship guidance. Previous <i>American Journal of Sports Medicine</i> (<i>AJSM</i>) work (1994-2014) reported rising author counts and a growing share of international contributors. To update <i>AJSM</i> 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. Cross-sectional bibliometric analysis. We reviewed <i>AJSM</i> 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. 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 (χ²[3] = 4.30; <i>P</i> = .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) (<i>F</i>[3,1470] = 15.69; <i>P</i> < .0001); all but the 2019 versus 2020 pairwise contrasts were significant. International groups increased from 42.6% (2014) to 51.3% (2024) (χ²[3] = 8.92; <i>P</i> = .03). No pairwise comparison met the Bonferroni threshold (α =.0083); the lowest <i>P</i> value was .0097 (2014 vs 2019). Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science first authorship rose (χ²[3] = 13.78; <i>P</i> = .003), reaching 9% (2020) and 11% (2024). Sex distributions for first and last authors did not change (all <i>P</i> > .05). Twelve articles exceeded the >20-author cutoff and were excluded. From 2014 to 2024, <i>AJSM</i> 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.