Authorship

What is authorship?

According to Cambridge University, authorship is what provides credit to a person’s contributions to a work and holds them accountable for that work [1].

It is important to note however that authorship does not have universally accepted guidelines [1].

Who is considered an author?

According to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the recommendation is that authorship should be granted to people who are involved in the inception of the piece or are involved in the collection of data and interpretation of data [2]. The author should also have an important role in creating the draft and in the final publication of the work [2].  

Anyone else in the work who did not complete the above should be listed as an acknowledgement [2].

What is considered in who is a first author vs someone who is a later author?

The Office of Research Integrity states that authors should determine order as a joint decision, noting that authors need to be prepared to answer as to why the authorship was in the order placed [2]. 

It is also important to note that certain journals have specific requirements for author listing, so it is important to review guidelines prior to submission [2].

How do I keep authors on the paper accountable?

It is important that all authors on the paper clearly inform the other authors what they think their contributions to the project will be. However, authorship is an evolving process that should evolve with the paper [3]. If an individual states what their role in the project is initially, and they end up doing considerably more, then the authorship should change to reflect that.

According to the National Institutes of Health, one method some authors use is called an Informal Authorship Contract [3]. This type of document is not a binding agreement, but can help guide expectations [3]. This document should change with the project, based on how authors roles change [3].

https://www.apa.org/science/leadership/students/authorship-agreement.pdf

Please note that you should refer to individual journal or university guidelines to make sure you are following their authorship rules. 

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