Drafting Authorship Contribution Statement: Best practices for academic publications
In the academic publishing landscape, authorship attribution stands as a cornerstone of recognition and accountability. However, amidst the complexities of collaborative research and evolving publication norms, crafting clear and equitable authorship statements can become a daunting task for even the most seasoned scholars.
An authorship statement clarifies the roles and contributions of each researcher in conducted research. It plays a pivotal role in determining the accountability of the research published. Unfortunately, the rules around authorship are not always clear. Hence, as a researcher striving to establish your reputation, it is important to be well-versed with the ethical guidelines present for authorship.
Defining Authorship
A foundational set of authorship criteria has been established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). According to the ICMJE, an individual must meet four essential requirements to qualify as an author of a research publication:
1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Accountable for all aspects of the work ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
These guidelines help ensure that authorship is reserved for those who have made significant intellectual contributions and can take responsibility for the integrity of the research. However, the process of determining authorship is not always straightforward, especially for large collaborative projects.
ICMJE further emphasises that the individuals conducting the work should collectively identify who meets the authorship criteria, ideally at the start of the project. This collaborative approach allows for open dialogue among colleagues. If the research team cannot agree on the authorship order, the issue should then be escalated to the institutions where the work was performed.
Significance of Transparent Authorship
Establishing clear authorship contribution statements serves several important purposes.
1. Enhancing Reader Understanding
Detailed authorship statements provide readers with a transparent overview of each author's specific role, allowing them to better evaluate the credibility and reliability of the research. It can be particularly valuable for interdisciplinary studies or large collaborative projects, where the individual contributions may not be immediately evident.
2. Preventing Unethical Practices
It helps prevent unethical authorship practices, such as guest authorship (including individuals who did not meet the criteria) or ghost authorship (omitting individuals who did meet the criteria). These practices undermine the integrity of the scientific literature and can have serious consequences for the individuals involved, both professionally and ethically.
3. Ensuring Proper Recognition
Clearly outlining author contributions allows authors to receive appropriate credit for their work, which is essential for career advancement, funding opportunities, and collaborative endeavours. This is particularly important for early-career researchers, who may face challenges in establishing their independent research profiles.
Drafting Authorship Contribution Statement
As the gatekeepers of academic publishing, journals play a crucial role in enforcing standards for authorship. Many of them require authors to provide a detailed authorship contribution statement as part of the submission process.
The authorship contribution statement should provide readers with a transparent overview of who was responsible for the key aspects of the research, from the initial conception and design to the final write-up and approval.
One of the most adopted frameworks for structuring authorship contribution statements is the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT). Credit provides a standardised vocabulary of 14 contributor roles.
1. Conceptualisation
2. Data Curation
3. Formal Analysis
4. Funding Acquisition
5. Investigation
6. Methodology
7. Project Administration
8. Resources
9. Software
10. Supervision
11. Validation
12. Visualisation
13. Writing - Original Draft
14. Writing - Review & Editing
Authors can indicate the degree of their contribution for each role (e.g., lead, supporting, or equal) in each area. This level of detail helps readers understand the specific responsibilities and expertise of each individual involved in the research.
Here is an example of an authorship contribution statement using the CRediT system and a general approach:
Example of CReditT system:
Emily Davis: Conceptualisation (lead), Methodology (supporting), Validation (equal), Writing - Original Draft (lead), Writing - Review & Editing (equal).
Michael Smith: Conceptualisation (supporting), Investigation (lead), Formal Analysis (lead), Data Curation (equal), Writing - Review & Editing (equal).
Robert Snow: Resources (lead), Supervision (supporting).
Example of general approach:
Emily Davis devised the project, the main conceptual ideas, proof outline, and wrote the manuscript. Michael Smith worked on all of the technical details and performed the numerical calculations for the suggested experiment. Robert Snow worked out the bound for quantum experiments and verified the results.
Promoting Transparency and Integrity in Authorship
Establishing transparent and ethical authorship practices is crucial for maintaining the credibility and trustworthiness of the scientific literature. By adhering to the ICMJE authorship criteria and utilising standardised frameworks like CRediT, researchers can ensure that credit and accountability are properly attributed to research contributions.
When drafting authorship contribution statements, authors should carefully review the target journal's guidelines and follow best practices to avoid immoral authorship practices. By prioritising fairness and transparency in authorship decisions, the research community can strengthen the integrity of the publication process and foster a more inclusive and collaborative academic environment.