Authorship Guidelines

Guidelines for Authorship

Assigning authorship to peer-reviewed conference abstracts, posters, and publications is the main way in which to dispense responsibility and credit for intellectual work in a research driven atmosphere. It is critical that authorship reflect the actually contributions provided in the final product created for dissemination.
 
Collaborating within a multidisciplinary team may produce conflict as various fields handle authorship differently. The following is a guide meant to prevent or mitigate these potentially troublesome situations. In general, the decision about who to include as an author is seemingly straightforward. The following is meant to ensure the continued production of high quality scholarship while maintaining uniformity and fairness.
 
Purpose
 
Maintaining scientific integrity is vital in the reporting and dissemination of research findings. Proper authorship contribution is one link that must be maintained in order to ensure proper credit is given and for community benefit from the research endeavors of the Institute for Sustainable Communities.
 
Criteria for Authorship
 
Many professional organizations publish style guides or other reference materials that include authorship criteria. Within theInstitute for Sustainable Communities an author is an individual who has made substantial contributions to the scientific investigation. All four of the following criteria must be met in order to receive authorship:
 
  1. Contributed significantly to the conception, design, or analysis and interpretation of the manuscript.
  2. Participated in the drafting or review of the manuscript.
  3. Approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
  4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
 
These guidelines are adapted from the American Medical Associations Style Guide and the American Psychology Associations Publication Guide.
 
Order of Authorship
 
While there are several different approaches to discerning the order of authorship across different fields of study there are a few points to keep in mind. Authorship order should be decided together prior to any scientific experimentation whenever possible. The lead author will assume the overall responsibility for the manuscript as well as be the corresponding author during review and submissions. The lead author is the individual who is responsible for the integrity of the work as a whole and must ensure that the data is complete, accurate, and ready for public dissemination.
 
Acknowledgments
 
Individuals who contributed to the manuscript, but do not meet the criteria for authorship, should be listed in the acknowledgment section.