  Acknowledgments are one of many conventions by which researchers publicly
bestow recognition towards individuals, organizations and institutions that
contributed in some way to the work that led to publication. Combining data on
both co-authors and acknowledged individuals, the present study analyses
disciplinary differences in researchers credit attribution practices in
collaborative context. Our results show that the important differences
traditionally observed between disciplines in terms of team size are greatly
reduced when acknowledgees are taken into account. Broadening the measurement
of collaboration beyond co-authorship by including individuals credited in the
acknowledgements allows for an assessment of collaboration practices and team
work that might be closer to the reality of contemporary research, especially
in the social sciences and humanities.
