Trends and Cycles in the Publication of Solo Papers in Business and Economics Journals.

By examining publication data for seven top business and economics journals over the period 1980–2015, we find that the proportion of solo papers declined while papers with more than three authors increased, on average. We also find positive correlation between the proportion of solo papers and a journal's acceptance rate. The rise in multi-authored papers can be explained as a response to the benefits conferred by research collaboration and the publish-or-perish culture that has led to tough competition for limited space in reputed journals. While research collaboration is beneficial, we put forward a case for the advantages of solo papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]