The order of authors in multiauthor scientific articles provides important signals regarding the role of each scientist in a project ( 7, 8). Our findings shed light on the role played by scientific training to acquire the necessary experience, expertise, and skills to publish in venues characterized by a strong chaperone effect. For high-impact multidisciplinary journals, a scientist is unlikely to appear as senior author if he or she has not previously published within the same journal. We illustrate that the chaperone effect has a different magnitude for journals in different branches of science, the effect being more pronounced within medical and biological sciences and weaker for the natural sciences. Here we quantify a key aspect of this “chaperone effect” by considering how inexperienced scientists transition into senior status given multiple publications within the same scientific journal. While single-topic studies like the mathematical genealogy project document such bonds between renowned scientists ( 4), there is less quantitative understanding of the role of apprenticeship in scientific publishing and of how scientific excellence is passed along between generations ( 4, 5). Science as an institution is highly stratified ( 1), and anecdotal evidence that scientific high achievers are often protégés of accomplished mentors supports the notion that scientific status is passed along through lineages of prominent scientists ( 2, 3). Our findings shed light on the role played by experience in publishing within specific scientific journals, on the paths toward acquiring the necessary experience and expertise, and on the skills required to publish in prestigious venues. Finally, we show that in the case of high-impact venues, the chaperone effect has significant implications, specifically resulting in a higher average impact relative to papers authored by new principal investigators (PIs). We illustrate that the chaperone effect has a different magnitude for journals in different branches of science, being more pronounced in medical and biological sciences and weaker in natural sciences. Here, we develop a quantitative understanding of author order by quantifying this “chaperone effect,” capturing how scientists transition into senior status within a particular publication venue. This is particularly evident in top multidisciplinary journals, where a scientist is unlikely to appear as senior author if he or she has not previously published within the same journal. Experience plays a critical role in crafting high-impact scientific work.
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