The position of an academic’s surname in the alphabet is a small but significant factor that can affect their visibility and recognition in the cutthroat world of academia. Even though it may seem strange, the order in which authors are listed in multi-author publications can have a significant impact on a scholar’s career advancement and long-term citation rates in addition to their immediate recognition.

The Academic Publishing Alphabetical Dilemma

It is customary in fields like political science and economics to arrange authors alphabetically. Although this ordering appears unbiased, people whose surnames start with letters that are arranged earlier in the alphabet may have a “alphabetical advantage.” Even when all authors contributed equally, studies show that readers frequently concentrate on the first author listed, which can greatly increase their visibility.

Consequently, scholars whose last names start with letters that are close to the end of the alphabet might experience unfair disadvantage. They may have less visibility and recognition in formats with lots of citations, and they are less likely to be the first author in multi-author papers. In-depth research on this phenomenon is done by Ali Barış Öz, who looks at its impact and frequency in four important social science fields: sociology, psychology, political science, and economics.

Methods for Getting Past the Alphabetical Disadvantage

In response to this innate bias, numerous academics have used innovative techniques to raise their profile in the list of authors:

1. Surname Initial Changes: To improve their ranking in alphabetical author lists, some academics purposefully change the initials of their surnames. They might choose to use a secondary surname with a better alphabetical position, or they might hyphenate their surnames. This strategy is particularly common in the fields of political science and economics, where alphabetical ordering is more common.

2. Double and hyphenated surnames:: Using double-barreled or hyphenated surnames is another tactic. Authors can control what portion of their surname appears in the citation by doing this. They may have more options with this strategy to land a good spot on the author list.
3. Prefix Techniques: Another method to jump ahead in the alphabetical order for people whose surnames begin with letters further down the alphabet is to add a prefix (like “De” or “Van”). This is especially common in nations like Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands where these prefixes are part of the culture.

Cultural and Gender Aspects

The study also reveals intriguing cultural and gender trends. Academic women who work in psychology and sociology, in particular, frequently use hyphenated surnames, sometimes even after getting married, in order to get a better alphabetical position or to preserve the academic recognition of their original surname. In order to obtain an alphabetical advantage, authors from nations where having multiple surnames is customary, such as those in South America and some parts of Europe, are also more likely to use multiple or hyphenated surnames.

Effect on Academic Careers and Citations

The study concludes that these tactics have a significant effect on an academic’s career and are not just insignificant changes. Scholars who are able to secure a first-place spot on the author list tend to receive more citations and exposure within the academic community. Better academic positions and recognition may result from this increased visibility, particularly in disciplines like political science and economics where author ordering is more strictly followed.

What Actions Are Possible?

Although these tactics provide some respite to lone scholars, they do not address the root cause of alphabetical bias in scholarly publications. A more comprehensive approach would entail reconsidering the listing of authors in multi-author papers, as the paper proposes. Leveling the playing field may be aided by contribution-based ordering, which gives weight to an author’s contribution rather than their last name.

As an alternative, journals should use more transparent author listing techniques that show each author’s contribution in full, regardless of the order in which they appear. The academic community can guarantee more equitable recognition for all scholars, regardless of their last name, by moving away from alphabetical bias.

In summary

Even though the invisible hand of alphabetical order in academic publishing might not seem like much, it has a big impact. It is a challenge that academics, especially those in disciplines like Economics and Political Science, must overcome to make sure their contributions are not undervalued. Many have been able to counteract this disadvantage by using creative surname modification techniques, but more extensive reforms to the academic publishing system are required to deal with the problem head-on. A more equitable academic environment can only be achieved by adopting fairer practices and raising awareness of these biases, as the research by Ali Barış Öz emphasizes.

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“This blog draws from the findings of the paper ‘Overcoming Alphabetical Disadvantage: Factors Influencing the Use of Surname Initial Techniques and Their Impact on Citation Rates in the Four Major Disciplines of Social Sciences’ by Ali Barış Öz, published in 2024 in Scientometrics.”