Trends and Cycles in the Publication of Solo Papers in Business and Economics Journals

By examining publication data for seven top business and economics journals over the period 1980-2015, we find that the proportion of solo papers declined while papers with more than three authors increased, on average. We also find positive correlation between the proportion of solo papers and a journal's acceptance rate. The rise in multi-authored papers can be explained as a response to the benefits conferred by research collaboration and the publish-or-perish culture that has led to tough competition for limited space in reputed journals. While research collaboration is beneficial, we put forward a case for the advantages of solo papers.