33 Years of Lean Construction Research: Community Evolution and Authorship Patterns

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of Lean Construction (LC) research contributions at the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) conferences over a 33-year period (1993–2025). Based on a dataset of 2,413 conference papers and 2,846 authors, the study examines authorship patterns, collaboration structures, and the involvement of students in order to describe how participation in the IGLC community has evolved. The results show that IGLC has developed into a well-established and still expanding research community, with sustained publication activity averaging over 100 papers per year. A relatively small but persistent core of authors (15%) accounts for over 86% of all papers, indicating a strong concentration of research output. At the same time, the number of contributing authors has continued to increase, while the size of the recurring core has remained comparatively stable. Collaboration has intensified steadily, reflected in a rise in the average number of authors per paper to more than 3.5. Also, student involvement is substantial: PhD students contribute to one-third to one-half of annual publications, with Bachelor/Master students also increasingly represented. ... mehrOverall, the study provides a descriptive baseline of authorship and participation patterns at IGLC, supporting further reflection on the structure and evolution of LC research.