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 of authors. 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]
|
Author Role |
Duties |
|
First Author |
Make significant original contributions to conception, planning, execution of study, and to writing and editing of manuscript. |
|
Corresponding Author |
Prepare submission ready files and enter submission into publisher system, obtain permissions, manage publication contract, handle requests for data sharing, represent co-authors in answering queries |
|
Co-author(s) |
Making contributions constituting authorship but lesser contributions than the first author. |
|
Last Author |
In some disciplines, the senior researcher, head of the laboratory, or principal investigator who has provided supervision and mentorship on the project |
|
Contributor |
An individual whose contribution does not constitute authorship but should be acknowledged for their contribution to the work, ex. Editing or proofreading, data collection, scientific advisors, etc. |