Collaboration in design research: An analysis of co-authorship in 13 design research journals, 2000–2015

Abstract

This paper utilizes social network analysis and multivariate statistical methods to quantitatively analyse co-authorship patterns between 2000 and 2015 in 13 influential design research journals. The results indicate that the importance and propensity of co-authorship is expanding in design research. Furthermore, the impact of an article, measured by year-adjusted citation counts, is significantly greater when it is co-authored. The structure of the co-authorship network is mostly comprised of small yet unconnected groups of authors, who seldom collaborate beyond a single article.