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Could small-team science be dying out?
United Kingdom🏛️ PoliticsCenter13 hr. ago

Could small-team science be dying out?

A recent analysis of authorship data from the Nature Index reveals a declining trend in small-team science across many scientific fields. Between 2015 and 2024, the proportion of papers with one or two authors decreased from 10.8% to 7.1% overall, while the share of larger teams (with 11 to 50 authors) increased significantly. Biological and health sciences showed particularly sharp declines, with solo- and dual-authored papers dropping from 6.1% to 3.8% in biology and remaining flat at 1% in health sciences. The physical sciences saw a slight increase in small-team papers but still experienced a proportional decline. Researchers note this shift reflects broader trends toward collaborative, large-scale research projects.

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Nature News logoNature NewsIndependentCenter13 hr. ago
Could small-team science be dying out?

A recent analysis of authorship data from the Nature Index reveals a declining trend in small-team science across many scientific fields. Between 2015 and 2024, the proportion of papers with one or two authors decreased from 10.8% to 7.1% overall, while the share of larger teams (with 11 to 50 authors) increased significantly. Biological and health sciences showed particularly sharp declines, with solo- and dual-authored papers dropping from 6.1% to 3.8% in biology and remaining flat at 1% in health sciences. The physical sciences saw a slight increase in small-team papers but still experienced a proportional decline. Researchers note this shift reflects broader trends toward collaborative, large-scale research projects.

Bias read (Center): The article presents an objective analysis of trends in scientific collaboration without overtly endorsing any particular ideological stance. While it highlights concerns about the decline of small-team science, it does not frame these changes as inherently positive or negative, nor does it take a鲜明

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