U of A, Stankus Ranked First in Publishing Study

Photo by Kelsey Lovewell Lippard

Tony Stankus

Life sciences librarian, science coordinator and distinguished professor Tony Stankus was the world's most published science librarian from 2011-2015, according to a new study published in Science and Technology Libraries. The same study showed that the University of Arkansas was the most published institution worldwide in the field of science librarianship during that time.

Authors from Long Island University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology sought to determine the most published countries, individual authors and institutions from 2011-2015 in prominent journals of science, engineering and medical librarianship. The study encompassed 981 papers published worldwide in seven journals from 46 countries.

Stankus led in individual authorship with 12 papers, followed by Michele Tenant of the University of Florida Health Sciences with 11 papers. According to the study, the typical publication output of an academic librarian in these fields today is one paper every six years. Stankus has been publishing at 20 times that rate.

"While being first in the world as an individual is probably the most striking thing I've accomplished professionally thus far, it is the U of A which gave me the welcoming place that is Mullins Library and surrounded me with the very people who helped make it happen," said Stankus.

The University of Arkansas led in institutional authorship with 23 papers, followed by the University of Florida with 21 papers.

When asked under what circumstances would Stankus, age 66, let up on his individual contributions to the team performance of all U of A science librarians in world standing, he replied, "Well, I suspect that dying might cause me to taper off a little bit."