Our data collection and database assembly efforts were assisted by John P. Sophocleus, Mark Gwartney, Michele Butler, and Scott Ralston. We received extremely valuable computer programming assistance from Jon Brunson and Edward Novak. Constructive comments were receivedfrom two anonymous reviewers. Financial supportfrom the Faculty Development Committee at Salisbury State University is gratefully acknowledged.

Journal editors who publish papers authored by colleagues and former graduate students have been charged with practicing favoritism, with the implication that the papers in question are of lower quality than those written by scholars with no ties to the editor. Using citation analysis, the authors find strong evidence that although journal editors occasionally publish subpar papers authored by colleagues and former graduate students, on balance their use of professional connections enables them to identify and 'capture' high-impact papers for publication. This implies that a practice interpreted as favoritism by many scholars in fact serves to enhance efficiency in the market for scientific knowledge. Copyright 1994 by University of Chicago Press.