Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To study the number of authors of papers published in Actas Urologicas Españolas, and to assess the consequences on multiple authorship of the restriction to 6 of the number of authors for paper, established in the instructions for authors since January 1995.

METHODS:

The authors and papers appearing on sections "Originals". "Reviews" and "Case reports" from 1992 to 1995, were counted.

RESULTS:

Five hundred and forty eight papers were reviewed. The mean (+/- standard deviation) number of authors (6.1 +/- 2; 95% IC = 5.9-6.3) didn't show a statistically significant change between the 4 studied years (ANOVA, F = 1.42; p = 0.23). Fifty percent of the Originals and Reviews and 36% of Case reports had more than 6 authors and these proportions didn't change significantly between years (chi 2 = 3.48; p = 0.32), even considering that more than one third of papers published in 1995 were accepted that year.

CONCLUSIONS:

A great number of authors should modify their habits of co-authorship on papers submitted to Actas Urologicas Españolas, in order to fulfill the new instructions for authors.