Assessing Co-Authored Papers in Tenure Decisions: Implications for Research Independence and Career Strategies in Economics

Abstract: In tenure decisions, the treatment of co-authored papers often raises questions about a candidate's research independence. This study examines the effects of solo versus collaborative authorship in high-profile Economics journals on long-term academic success. Our findings confirms the traditional belief that solo-authored publications significantly enhance long-term research output and citation impact compared to collaborative efforts. However, relative to solo-authored papers, international collaborations have a less negative impact on long-term success than national and institutional collaborations. Temporal trends highlight the increasing importance of diverse and international collaborations. These insights provide actionable guidance for tenure committees on evaluating co-authored work and for researchers on optimizing their publication strategies.