Editing Astrophysics Data System (section)

==Sociological studies using ADS==
Because it is used almost universally by astronomers, ADS can reveal much about how astronomical research is distributed around the world. Most users access the system from institutes of higher education, whose [[IP address]] can easily be used to determine the user's geographical location. Studies reveal that the highest per-capita users of ADS are France and Netherlands-based astronomers, and while more developed countries (measured by [[GDP per capita]]) use the system more than less developed countries; the relationship between GDP per capita and ADS use is not linear. The range of ADS usage per capita far exceeds the range of GDP per capita, and basic research carried out in a country, as measured by ADS usage, has been found to be proportional to the square of the country's GDP divided by its population.<ref name="impact" /> Statistics also imply that there are about three times as many astronomers in countries of European culture as in countries of [[Culture of Asia|Asian culture]]s, perhaps suggesting cultural differences in the importance attached to astronomical research.<ref name="impact" /> The amount of basic research carried out in a country is found to be proportional to the number of astronomers in that country multiplied by its GDP per capita, with considerable scatter.

ADS has also been used to show that the fraction of single-author astronomy papers has decreased substantially since 1975 and that astronomical papers with more than 50 authors have become more common since 1990.<ref name="trends">{{cite journal |author-link1=Eric Schulman |last1=Schulman |first1=E. |last2=French |first2=J.C. |last3=Powell |first3=A.L. |last4=Eichhorn |first4=G. |last5=Kurtz |first5=M.J. |last6=Murray |first6=S.S. |year=1997 |title=Trends in Astronomical Publication Between 1975 and 1996 |journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |volume=109 |pages=1278–1284 |doi=10.1086/134008 |bibcode=1997PASP..109.1278S |s2cid=122859920 |doi-access=free}}</ref>