Definitions of Altruism

This Excel spreadsheet contains the raw data used for a structured review of the precise definitions of altruism in full-length books in English with the word ‘altruism’, ‘altruist’, or ‘altruistic’ in the title or subtitle, available from WorldCat as of June 2, 2024, that were written by an author with a terminal academic degree who held an academic position. Excluded were books about biological altruism, self-published books, biographies, books in which psychological altruism was not a primary subject (such as books about organ donation or neurobiology), and book-length compilations of works by many authors with different viewpoints (such as edited books, encyclopaedias, compendiums, and symposium and conference proceedings or transactions). Theses that were published were included, on the premise that the successful doctoral student was supervised by a qualified academic supervisor in an academic setting. The dataset lists 30 definitions, their sources, the authors' academic disciplines. and classifications in eight concept areas.