Authorship

Discuss early on
Be clear about roles
Celebrate success

resources

How to handle authorship disputes: a guide for new researchers 2003 Tim Albert and Elizabeth Wager The COPE Report 2003

Often not considered early on in a research project, people may leave the question of authorship until it is clearer who does what. However it can become an area of misundertanding and it is increasingly the focus of an editors attention

Discuss early on

Bring the subject of authorship up early in an informal way then revisit it as roles become clearer. Consider who has made a significant contribution and try not to miss anyone out. Suggest who might be first author and why,  then revisit this as the paper progresses. Don’t feel bad about bringing up the topic. It is an unsaid question and all will appreciate its discussion.

Authors should have made a significant contribution, drafted or revised the paper and given a final approval. Gift authorship refers to those given authorship without significant contribution and ghose authorship is those who contributed but are not given authorship

Be clear about roles

Each person has their own skills and interests. Try to distribute work so that these interests are met, then the work will go smoother and more quickly. Some will like the ideas and thinking through the approach. Others prefer doing the research as hands on practical work. You also need someone who can pull together the results and someone who is ready to write and edit the paper. And at the end there is the process of submission, revision and resubmission.

Celebrate success

When you do get published don’t forget to get share the thanks and achievement. It can be a long period until that article appears in print and it was your original goal so well done. Celebration includes disseminating the paper more widely and sharing the conclusions.

For more infomation see the COPE website

How to handle authorship disputes: a guide for new researchers 2003 Tim Albert and Elizabeth Wager The COPE Report 2003