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Estimating Citation Gaps by Team Size: Evidence from a Cross-Disciplinary Analysis

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Title: Estimating Citation Gaps by Team Size: Evidence from a Cross-Disciplinary Analysis
Language: English
Authors: Hwiyoung P. Lee (ORCID 0009-0007-4624-6195), Chelsea Zhang, Manuel S. González Canché, Yoosun Park (ORCID 0000-0002-5061-2553), Ram A. Cnaan
Source: Grantee Submission. 2026 20.
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Contract Number: R305B200035
Document Type: Journal Articles
Information Analyses
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Citations (References), Citation Analysis, Higher Education, Bibliometrics, Authors, Collaborative Writing, Intellectual Disciplines, Social Sciences, STEM Education, Influences
DOI: 10.1016/j.joi.2026.101780
ISSN: 1751-1577
Abstract: Citations in academia, once a respectful nod to intellectual predecessors, have become central metrics of influence, achievement, and recognition, particularly within elite academic circles. As collaborative research becomes more prevalent, shifting authorship dynamics raise questions about how solo and small-team contributions are valued in a system increasingly oriented toward multi-author publications. Although prior work documents a positive association between team size and citation outcomes, few studies quantify the magnitude of this relationship with sufficient granularity or assess how it varies across disciplines. Using Scopus bibliometric data, we analyze 417,201 English-language articles published in 2014 across eight disciplines--four in the social sciences (economics, education, social work, sociology) and four in STEM (bioengineering, chemistry, computer science, physics)--controlling for detailed article- and journal-level characteristics, including journal fixed effects. We find that solo-authored papers consistently receive fewer citations and that larger teams are generally associated with higher citation counts. Across both social sciences and STEM, the citation gap between solo- and multi-authored articles typically ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 standard deviations per article. The shape of the relationship differs by field: in the social sciences, returns to coauthorship follow an inverted-U, whereas in STEM fields, citations tend to increase more steadily with team size. These field-specific estimates can inform the development and fine-tuning of evaluation metrics, helping build more robust assessment frameworks.
Abstractor: As Provided
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED679017
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Estimating Citation Gaps by Team Size: Evidence from a Cross-Disciplinary Analysis
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hwiyoung+P%2E+Lee%22">Hwiyoung P. Lee</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4624-6195">0009-0007-4624-6195</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chelsea+Zhang%22">Chelsea Zhang</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Manuel+S%2E+González+Canché%22">Manuel S. González Canché</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yoosun+Park%22">Yoosun Park</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5061-2553">0000-0002-5061-2553</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ram+A%2E+Cnaan%22">Ram A. Cnaan</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Grantee+Submission%22"><i>Grantee Submission</i></searchLink>. 2026 20.
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  Data: 15
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: 10.1016/j.joi.2026.101780
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  Data: Citations in academia, once a respectful nod to intellectual predecessors, have become central metrics of influence, achievement, and recognition, particularly within elite academic circles. As collaborative research becomes more prevalent, shifting authorship dynamics raise questions about how solo and small-team contributions are valued in a system increasingly oriented toward multi-author publications. Although prior work documents a positive association between team size and citation outcomes, few studies quantify the magnitude of this relationship with sufficient granularity or assess how it varies across disciplines. Using Scopus bibliometric data, we analyze 417,201 English-language articles published in 2014 across eight disciplines--four in the social sciences (economics, education, social work, sociology) and four in STEM (bioengineering, chemistry, computer science, physics)--controlling for detailed article- and journal-level characteristics, including journal fixed effects. We find that solo-authored papers consistently receive fewer citations and that larger teams are generally associated with higher citation counts. Across both social sciences and STEM, the citation gap between solo- and multi-authored articles typically ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 standard deviations per article. The shape of the relationship differs by field: in the social sciences, returns to coauthorship follow an inverted-U, whereas in STEM fields, citations tend to increase more steadily with team size. These field-specific estimates can inform the development and fine-tuning of evaluation metrics, helping build more robust assessment frameworks.
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  Data: 2026
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PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED679017
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