Table 5-22
Authors per S&E article, by field: 1988 and 2005
 
 
Field   1988   2005
 
All fields   3.1   4.5
Engineering   2.5   3.6
Astronomy   2.5   5.0
Chemistry   3.1   4.1
Physics   3.3   5.4
Geosciences   2.4   3.7
Mathematics   1.5   1.9
Computer sciences   1.9   2.8
Agricultural sciences   2.7   4.0
Biological sciences   3.3   4.9
Medical sciences   3.6   5.3
Other life sciences   2.0   3.1
Psychology   2.1   2.9
Social sciences   1.4   1.8
 

NOTE: Articles classified by year they entered database rather than year of publication.

SOURCES: Thomson Scientific, Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index, http://scientific.thomson.com/products/categories/citation/; ipIQ, Inc.; and National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, special tabulations.

Science and Engineering Indicators 2008