Funded research, multiple authorship, and subauthorship collaboration in four disciplines

Examination of the relationship between financial support, multiple authorship, and subauthorship in four disciplines shows that financial support for research is associated with an increase in the total number of persons involved in the production of knowledge per journal article.

Abstract

Increased financial support for science has contributed to a change in the social structure of research, as evidenced by the increase in collaborative research. The present paper examines the relationship between financial support, multiple authorship, and subauthorship in four disciplines. It is shown that financial support for research is associated with an increase in the total number of persons involved in the production of knowledge per journal article. However, the impact of funding is not the same for all modes of collaboration nor the same for all disciplines.