Some Patterns of Research in Mathematics

Abstract

We partially update Grossman's 2005 survey of patterns in mathematical research using a sample of 401 profiles from MathSciNet. The mathematical landscape has changed substantially: single-paper authors have reduced from $43$ \% to $32.42$ \%, collaboration has intensified, and the giant component of the co-authorship network has grown denser, with median Erdős number dropping from $5$ to $4$. The data reveal the profession as markedly more collaborative, particularly among younger generations, although the tail of high productivity has also grown more extreme.