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							<p>Research projects vary considerably in size and complexity. In some fields it is not unusual for one person (student or faculty) to come up with an idea, get the funding needed to carry out the project, do the work and draft the publication.</p>
							<p>What happens when more than one person works on a project? Research teams can easily grow to ten or more people. In some fields, a single project can involve hundreds of researchers. The 2015 <em>Physical Review Letters</em> article on the Large Hadron Collider had over 5,000 authors (Castelvecchi, 2015). When the number of individuals working on a project grows, three key questions emerge when it comes to publishing:</p>
							
							<ol>
								<li>Who qualifies for authorship?</li>
								<li>In what order should they be listed?</li>
								<li>How should others who work on the project but do not qualify for authorship be recognised?</li>
							</ol>
							
							<p>Figuring out the answers to these questions early on in a project is essential if disagreements are to be avoided further down the road. In many cases, it may be helpful to establish a specific authorship agreement prior to collecting data, or before the writing of the paper has commenced.</p>
							
							<h3>Authorship vs acknowledgement</h3>
							
							<p>In most fields of research, there are two ways to identify those who contributed to a research project:</p>
							
							<ul>
								<li><strong>Authorship</strong> is limited to those who play a significant role in a research project</li>
								<li><strong>Acknowledgement</strong> is used to recognise others who worked on the project but did not play a particularly significant role.</li>
							</ul>
							
							<p>The main challenge in assigning authorship versus acknowledging contributions is determining what constitutes a 'significant role'. This differs between fields of research, but there are some broad criteria that can be used as a guide when judging whether someone deserves authorship or acknowledgement.</p>
							
							<instructional-text><p>The following activity incorporates criteria from the website of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, 2018). Consider each item and drag it into a column according to whether you think it warrants authorship or acknowledgement. If your choice does not agree with general practice, you will be prompted to drag it into the other column.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>The following activity incorporates criteria from the website of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, 2018). You will be asked to consider each item and decide whether you think it warrants authorship or acknowledgement.</p></instructional-text-accessible>
							
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							<classification>
								<categories>
									<!-- column 1 -->
									<category>
										<category-heading><p>Authorship</p></category-heading>
										<category-answers>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Making a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work (or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for the work).</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Make a substantial contribution to concept or design</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Drafting the work or revising it critically to incorporate important intellectual content.</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Draft or revise a publication</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Giving final approval of the version to be published.</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Give final approval of version to be published</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Assuming accountability 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.</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Accept responsibility for all aspects of the work</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
										</category-answers> 
									</category>
									<!-- column 2 -->
									<category>
										<category-heading><p>Acknowledgement</p></category-heading>
										<category-answers>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Providing the funding for work done by others.</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Provide funding</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Providing special equipment, materials, reagents or skills.</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Provide materials/skills</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Acting as a mentor or supervisor.</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Act as a mentor or supervisor</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
											<classify-item>
												<p>Conducting routine work (e.g. scheduling interviews or collecting routine data)</p>
												<classify-item-short><p>Conduct routine work</p></classify-item-short>
											</classify-item>
										</category-answers> 
									</category>
								</categories>
							</classification>
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							<p>If you are not sure which guidelines apply to your research, you should review the authorship policies in the publication you have selected, or refer to the general Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines listed in the "Resource bank".</p>
							<p>Giving mentors and supervisors honorary authorship status is no longer considered appropriate, even though this used to be a widely accepted practice.</p>
							
							<h3>Authorship roles and order</h3>
							
							<p>The order in which authors are listed on publications also varies from field to field, depending on the role each author played.</p>
							
							<instructional-text><p>Click on the red markers attached to the different names below to learn more about the various authors' roles.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>Continue on to learn more about the various authors' roles.</p></instructional-text-accessible>
							
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								<labelled-graphic-hotspot location="79,185" placement="top" heading="First author" content="Typically, the individual who has made the major intellectual contribution to the publication, including writing the first draft of the manuscript. <br><br> The importance of the first author is reflected in the common practice of referring to a publication by the first author's surname, with this being followed by 'et al.' (Latin for 'and others'). Being published as a first author is critical for career advancement."></labelled-graphic-hotspot>
								<labelled-graphic-hotspot location="625,185" placement="top" heading="Last author" content="In many fields, the last author credit is commonly reserved for the most senior author and the driving force behind the research, although other practices are followed. Whatever the status of the last author, this listing should not be an honorary position. Last authors are still expected to have contributed to the research and take responsibility for the content."></labelled-graphic-hotspot>
								<labelled-graphic-hotspot location="227,185" placement="top" heading="Co-author" content="Co-authors include all the other individuals who qualify for authorship, listed in order of importance, alphabetical order or some other order agreed to by the team. Increasingly, co-authors are expected to take responsibility for the complete publication."></labelled-graphic-hotspot>
								<labelled-graphic-hotspot location="418,185" placement="top" heading="Corresponding author" content="One member of the authoring team, called the 'corresponding author', takes responsibility for all correspondence relating to the article. Often this is also the last, most senior author, because they usually hold a permanent position (e.g.professor), which means their contact details are unlikely to change over a longer period of time. Being the corresponding author is not a measure of a person's contribution to the paper in the same way as being the first author."></labelled-graphic-hotspot>
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								<h4>First author</h4>
								<p>Typically, the individual who has made the major intellectual contribution to the publication, including writing the first draft of the manuscript.</p>
								<p>The importance of the first author is reflected in the common practice of referring to a publication by the first author's surname, with this being followed by 'et al.' (Latin for 'and others'). Being published as a first author is critical for career advancement.</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Last author</h4>
								<p>In many fields, the last author credit is commonly reserved for the most senior author and the driving force behind the research, although other practices are followed. Whatever the status of the last author, this listing should not be an honorary position. Last authors are still expected to have contributed to the research and take responsibility for the content.</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Co-author</h4>
								<p>Co-authors include all the other individuals who qualify for authorship, listed in order of importance, alphabetical order or some other order agreed to by the team. Increasingly, co-authors are expected to take responsibility for the complete publication.</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Corresponding author</h4>
								<p>One member of the authoring team, called the 'corresponding author', takes responsibility for all correspondence relating to the article. Often this is also the last, most senior author, because they usually hold a permanent position (e.g.professor), which means their contact details are unlikely to change over a longer period of time. Being the corresponding author is not a measure of a person's contribution to the paper in the same way as being the first author.</p>
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							<p>If you are not sure about assigning or ordering roles, check with your editor or a trusted colleague. As you would when determining who will be listed as an author, you should check carefully before accepting what might be a 'common practice' in your research group/department or at your university. Listing individuals as authors when they contributed little to a publication or are unwilling to take responsibility for its content is now discouraged, being widely viewed as irresponsible.</p>
							
							<h3>Summary</h3>
							
							<p>If you planned carefully in the early stages of your research, you may have developed an authorship agreement that specified who would be listed as authors on papers resulting from the work done and the order in which they should be listed. As you make authorship decisions, remember the basic principles for responsible authorship:</p>

							<ol>
								<li>Confirm in writing that everyone listed agrees to be named as an author</li>
								<li>Confirm in writing that everyone listed has read, approved and is willing to take responsibility for the final draft of the publication. If the draft changes during the submission process, you should reconfirm this approval</li>
								<li>Do not include honorary authors</li>
								<li>Do not omit individuals who made a significant contribution.</li>
							</ol>
							
							<p>Authorship is earned &ndash; it is not a privilege that comes with rank or authority. Project directors and mentors can always be mentioned in the acknowledgements section if they did not make a significant contribution to a paper you are about to publish.</p>
							
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