Promoting Integrity in theNext Generation of Researchers

A Curriculum for Responsible Conduct of Research

in Occupational Therapy (2005)Funded by the Office of Research Integrity through the

American Association of Medical Colleges

Authorship

Objectives Discuss how the history of a work, responsibility for

the work, and accurate credit for the work determine assigned authorship, acknowledgment, and author order.

Apply authorship principles and rules to case examples.

Discuss how professional cultures differ regarding authorship and author order.

Feel empowered to discuss authorship issues with involved parties.

Dissemination is an Obligation

Researchers are obliged to share their study methods and findings

Participants, funders, and colleagues rely on this commitment

Ways to Disseminate Dissemination may be through:

Publication in journals, texts, monographs, pamphlets, Internet postings, etc…

Oral presentations, workshops, or poster sessions at professional meetings

Media such as videos, commercialize devices, or lecture audiovisuals

Decide on type and forum of dissemination based on the target audience for findings

Authorship Authors are listed to provide a public

record of responsibility and credit for the work

Only those who can take both responsibility and credit for a work should be authors

Authorship Policies Try to Ensure that all those who deserve authorship

are listed as authors

Ensure that those who do not deserve authorship are not listed as authors

Authorship (continued) To be eligible for authorship, most policies

require that a person: Make a major contribution to concept, design,

analysis and/or interpretation of the work Participate in drafting the article or revising it

critically for important content Have a voice in the final version submitted for

publication

(continued next slide)

Authorship (continued) Accept responsibility as well as credit for the

work Be able to present, discuss, interpret, and defend

the work, analysis, and conclusions

Authorship Policyof the American Psychological Association

“Authorship is reserved for persons who make a primary contribution to and hold primary responsibility for the data, concepts, and interpretation of results for a published work” (Huth, 1987). Authorship encompasses not only those who do the actual writing but also those who have made substantial scientific contributions to a study.”

(American Psychological Association, 2001, pg. 6)

Authorship Policy of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

“Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and

design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;

2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and

3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3.”

(International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, 2004)

Authorship Policy of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)(continued)

“Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group, alone, does not justify authorship.

All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify should be listed.”

(International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, 2004)

Authorship Policy of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT)

“The statement of authorship responsibility is certification that each author has made substantial contributions to (a) the conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; (b) drafting and revising the article; and (c) approval of the final version. Further, each author takes public responsibility for the work.”

( American Journal of Occupational Therapy, n.d.)

Your School’s Authorship Policy Here Many universities/colleges have an authorship

policy in the institution’s Code of Conduct.

Insert with proper citation

Your OT Departmental or Program Authorship Policy here

If your Department or Program has an authorship policy

Insert with proper citation

If it does not have one – you may want to ask faculty or students to develop one

Author Order Professions differ in their conventions for

author order

Most professions agree that: First author is principal contributor Subsequent authors listed in order of

decreasing contribution

Author Order (continued) Some Common Exceptions:

Alphabetical listing, with designation of a contributing author (i.e., the author to be contacted). A common convention in mathematics.

Biomedical researchers often attach special credit to final author (i.e., anchor author).

Authorship Issues in Faculty/Student Collaborations Faculty-student collaborations are unequal Two common ethical problems:

Faculty taking unearned authorship or inappropriate author order

Faculty granting students unearned authorship or inappropriate author order

(Fine and Kurdek , 1993)

Preventing Authorship Problems Identify and assign study tasks that are key

for authorship, and those warranting only acknowledgement.

Link authorship to quality and completion of work not to an individual’s role or title.

Renegotiate authorship and author order when new tasks emerge, responsibilities alter, or people enter or leave the collaborative group

Acknowledgements Acknowledge

People or institutions with minor but respected role in project

People who cannot or do not want to be author

Acknowledgements should specify contribution, not offer vague thanks for help

Many journals now require permission if specific person or institution is named as this could imply endorsement of study

Examples of Contributions Appropriate for Acknowledgement Advice on study design Editing grant proposal,

manuscript Data collection, subject

recruitment, providing animals, contributing samples

Statistical or technical advice

Assistance with data entry or analysis

Photography Financial support or

donation of materials Clerical assistance Editorial assistance Participants Fabrication of a device Recruitment or referral

of participants

Acknowledgement Order American Psychological Association:

List funding sources first, then colleagues who gave editorial or other assistance.

(Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5th Ed., 2001)

American Medical Association No order given for acknowledgements

Others: People first (participants, colleagues), money last

Resources American Journal of Occupational Therapy. (n.d.). Author’s

guide. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from http://www.aota.org/ajot/authguide.asp.

American Medical Association. (1998). American Medical Association manual of style (9th ed.). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Eastern Michigan University. (n.d.). Publication practices and responsible authorship. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from http://www.rcr.emich.edu/module6/f1_objectives.html

Resources (continued) Fine, M. A, & Kurdek, L. A. (1993). Reflections on

determining authorship credit and authorship order on faculty-student collaborations. American Psychologist, 48, 1141–1147.

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. (2004). Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: Writing and editing for biomedical publication. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from http://www.icmje.org/#author.

Magnus, P. D., & Kalichman, M. (2002, September). Authorship. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from RCR Education Resources, Online Resource for RCR Instructors: http://rcrec.org/r/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&meid=35&ceid=19.

This completes the presentation on Authorship

THANK YOU!