Alphabetical Tyranny
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James Joyner | Friday, April 14, 2006 |
Alex Tabarrok points to a new study showing that, “Faculty members in top [economics] departments with surnames beginning with letters earlier in the alphabet are substantially more likely to be tenured, be fellows of the Econometrics Society, and even win Nobel prizes.” This is because, “In economics there is a norm that authors are listed alphabetically” and “Citation counts, however, are historically assigned only to the first listed author and later listed authors are often buried under the et al. monster.”
While I understand the politics of alphabetical listing of authors–avoiding hurt feelings ensuing by the “Who contributed more?” debate–it is not the norm in most disciplines. Indeed, it surprises me that economists of all people would be the ones following it.
Kevin Drum wonders, “Is the same true in the blogosphere, where blogrolls are often arranged alphabetically?” Quite probably, I would wager, since most blogrolls are long. Those sites showing above the fold certainly have an advantage.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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