Collaboration across the globe: Time zone differences and citations

This research examines how time zone differences among co-authors of peer-reviewed articles influence citations. The analysis reveals that articles with authors spanning wider time zones receive more citations, even after controlling for physical distance, the number of co-authors, the number of countries, time since publication, journal-specific factors, and in some specifications also co-author team specific factors with fixed effects. Specifically, a one-hour increase in the average time zone difference between authors is associated with a 4% increase in citations compared to the sample mean. The relationship exhibits an inverted U-shape, where a time zone difference of 5 to 6 h, which allows for sufficient overlap, yields the highest positive coefficient (about 15% increase in citations). Field specific results indicate that one potential mechanism through which time zone differences can improve publication outcome is by facilitating faster collaboration and accelerating research outcomes.