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Determining who qualifies as an author on a scholarly work—and in what order—can be one of the most complex and consequential aspects of academic publishing. Questions of authorship touch on professional ethics, disciplinary norms, collaboration dynamics, and institutional expectations. As research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative, the need for clarity around authorship roles, responsibilities, and agreements has never been greater. This guide, developed in collaboration with Dr. Alice Young and Dr. Casside Street, brings together a wide range of resources to support researchers, students, and faculty in navigating the multifaceted landscape of academic authorship.
Topics include definitions of authorship, contributor roles and taxonomies, authorship agreements, common sources of dispute, and how to address misconduct. Whether you are preparing your first manuscript, mentoring students, or managing collaborative research teams, this guide is designed to help you foster transparency, accountability, and fairness in your publishing practices. Authorship may seem straightforward at first: if you create a written work, you are its author. However, authorship can quickly become more complicated when working collaboratively. According to USF's Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, "Multiple authorship raises issues such as criteria for inclusion as an author, ability of each author to evaluate all aspects of a study, and sequence of listing... Authors should discuss these issues openly before initiating a multi-author project and repeatedly during the course of such work."[1]
Who is an author of the work? What rights and responsibilities do they have as authors? If people contribute to the work in different ways, some designing the study, others collecting and analyzing the data, and still others drafting and reviewing the work, who receives authorship? And in what order do you list the people who are identified as authors? This guide outlines key considerations for authorship: how to determine authorship, author order, talking about authorship, potential issues, and ownership. According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), "Authorship confers credit and has important academic, social, and financial implications.
Authorship also implies responsibility and accountability for published work."[2] According to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), "Researchers should ensure that only those individuals who meet authorship criteria (i.e. made a substantial contribution to the work) are rewarded with authorship and that deserving authors are not omitted."[3] Trust is fundamental to scientific communication: Trust that the authors have accurately reported their contributions, methods and findings; trust that authors have disclosed all potential conflicts of interest; and trust that editors have exercised... Problems with authorship are not uncommon and can threaten the integrity of scientific research.1 With the aim to decrease such problems, this section focuses on principles to guide authorship-related decisions, policies, practices, and responsibilities. Journal editors best serve readers and promote integrity in scientific publication when they ensure accurate reporting and disclosures by authors.
The first step in creating transparency for readers is accurate identification of those who participated in the research and the reporting. Authors are generally defined as persons who have contributed sufficiently to a scientific report to be listed on the byline of the published report. Many journals provide guidelines on authorship in their instructions for authors. Some professional and research funding organizations and academic institutions also provide such guidance. Principles, customs, and practices regarding authorship differ across cultures and scientific disciplines and sometimes within disciplines. This document aims to summarize common principles to guide authorship across scientific disciplines.
Principles common to most guidelines on authorship include the following: Ask an expert about access to resources, publishing, grants, and more. MD Anderson faculty and staff can also request a one-on-one consultation with a librarian or scientific editor. Log in to the Library's remote access system using your MyID account. Authorship can be a rewarding but complicated endeavor. Through authorship, individuals receive credit and accolades for their contributions but assume great responsibility for the quality and integrity of their research and reputation1.
The library offers a variety of services and instructional content to assist individuals in understanding authorship, publication matters, research impact, and more. Review each section below for more information. Need help choosing a journal, creating an author profile, or calculating your h-index? Library staff can help with this and more. Request a consultation. Authorship confers credit and has important academic, social, and financial implications.
Authorship also implies responsibility and accountability for published work. The following recommendations are intended to ensure that contributors who have made substantive intellectual contributions to a paper are given credit as authors, but also that contributors credited as authors understand their role in... Editors should be aware of the practice of excluding local researchers from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) from authorship when data are from LMICs. Inclusion of local authors adds to fairness, context, and implications of the research. Lack of inclusion of local investigators as authors should prompt questioning and may lead to rejection. Because authorship does not communicate what contributions qualified an individual to be an author, some journals now request and publish information about the contributions of each person named as having participated in a submitted...
Editors are strongly encouraged to develop and implement a contributorship policy. Such policies remove much of the ambiguity surrounding contributions, but leave unresolved the question of the quantity and quality of contribution that qualify an individual for authorship. The ICMJE has thus developed criteria for authorship that can be used by all journals, including those that distinguish authors from other contributors. The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria: In addition to being accountable for the parts of the work done, an author should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific other parts of the work. In addition, authors should have confidence in the integrity of the contributions of their co-authors.
from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors - ICMJE http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html • Discuss authorship before writing and agree on order of authors 1. Substantially contribute to conception, design, data acquisition or analysis AND 2.
Help to draft the article, revise critically for intellectual content, AND As a public education and research institution, the University of Oregon is committed to distributing findings from our research, scholarship, and innovation. These dissemination efforts often include publications in journals, books, book chapters, reports, presentations, proceedings, posters, software, or other media. Fair and equitable attribution of authorship on publications is essential to give appropriate credit for intellectual contributions and to uphold the integrity of the research enterprise. Norms and expectations around authorship criteria can vary widely across disciplines, which is why it is important to have open discussions about authorship criteria as early as possible and periodically over the entire course... This is particularly important for interdisciplinary projects where individual collaborators may bring different assumptions about authorship from their respective disciplines.
Discussing authorship criteria as early as possible in a project is also especially important when students and faculty are collaborating on publications, given the complex power dynamics that can occur in student-faculty collaborations where... Because authorship norms and responsibilities can vary widely across disciplines, scholars and researchers are expected to act within the accepted professional guidelines of academic journals and professional societies in their field. Here we provide general guidance and useful resources related to best practices for authorship considerations on publications regardless of the field(s). One of the most effective methods for avoiding authorship disputes is to engage in dialogue about authorship as early as possible in a project that is expected to yield publications. These conversations can establish clear expectations and responsibilities for each contributing author and can set the precedent for maintaining an open and ongoing dialogue about authorship throughout the entirety of a project. Authorship discussions are often initiated by the “lead” author or investigator, the individual who is responsible for overall oversight of the project.
In some fields, this person may sometimes be referred to as the “senior,” “corresponding,” “first,” or “anchor” author. In other fields, there may not be a designated lead author, but there will typically be at least one or more senior collaborators. The lead author, or senior collaborator(s) on a project, should strive to maintain a collegial and open dialogue about authorship criteria, so that all contributors will feel welcome to raise questions about authorship at... Lead or senior authors should devote particular attention to creating open dialogue with any student or trainee co-authors to ensure they feel welcome to raise questions about authorship criteria. In many cases, even if a student is a lead author on a paper, discussions about authorship should typically be discussed in advance with the larger project lead. Authorship conveys credit and responsibility for published work.
There are a variety of guidelines that inform how authorship is assigned. Information linked or provided here is intended to connect research teams to recognized guidelines, support discussion of discipline-specific norms, and encourage documentation of written agreements related to authorship of planned publications and presentations. A shared understanding of how contributions will be recognized can prevent disputes at the time of publication. Ideally, when disagreements do arise about authorship, they are resolved through informal communication between co-authors and collaborators. If the matter remains unresolved, contributors should discuss the issue with their department head or unit lead. Consultation with the Research Integrity Officer can be requested at any point.
Defining the role of authors and contributors. ICMJE’s authorship criteria are widely accepted by journals across disciplines. Contribution Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) Includes 14 roles typically that can be used to describe each contributor’s specific contribution to the scholarly output. NIH OIR General Guidelines for Authorship Contributions
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Determining Who Qualifies As An Author On A Scholarly Work—and
Determining who qualifies as an author on a scholarly work—and in what order—can be one of the most complex and consequential aspects of academic publishing. Questions of authorship touch on professional ethics, disciplinary norms, collaboration dynamics, and institutional expectations. As research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative, the need for clarity around authorship rol...
Topics Include Definitions Of Authorship, Contributor Roles And Taxonomies, Authorship
Topics include definitions of authorship, contributor roles and taxonomies, authorship agreements, common sources of dispute, and how to address misconduct. Whether you are preparing your first manuscript, mentoring students, or managing collaborative research teams, this guide is designed to help you foster transparency, accountability, and fairness in your publishing practices. Authorship may se...
Who Is An Author Of The Work? What Rights And
Who is an author of the work? What rights and responsibilities do they have as authors? If people contribute to the work in different ways, some designing the study, others collecting and analyzing the data, and still others drafting and reviewing the work, who receives authorship? And in what order do you list the people who are identified as authors? This guide outlines key considerations for au...
Authorship Also Implies Responsibility And Accountability For Published Work."[2] According
Authorship also implies responsibility and accountability for published work."[2] According to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), "Researchers should ensure that only those individuals who meet authorship criteria (i.e. made a substantial contribution to the work) are rewarded with authorship and that deserving authors are not omitted."[3] Trust is fundamental to scientific communication:...
The First Step In Creating Transparency For Readers Is Accurate
The first step in creating transparency for readers is accurate identification of those who participated in the research and the reporting. Authors are generally defined as persons who have contributed sufficiently to a scientific report to be listed on the byline of the published report. Many journals provide guidelines on authorship in their instructions for authors. Some professional and resear...