Recently we published an article online. A scholar wrote to us saying that their name is not included in the author list but that they had made contributions to the article. They therefore requested us to add their name to the author list. They are currently mentioned only in the Acknowledgements section of the article.
We contacted the corresponding author of the article, who insisted that there was no need to add the scholar to the author list, and stated that the article authorship was defined according to the requirements of the ICMJE.
We informed the scholar that they could not be added as an author. However, they still insisted on their eligibility and explained what they had contributed to the article (for example, updating the list of references and abbreviations, and writing a paragraph based on an article authored by them). We suggested that they communicate with the authors and reach an agreement, or contact the institution(s) where the work was performed to resolve the authorship dispute. We explained that only if all authors agree in writing, can we add them as an author. This person says that they cannot contact the corresponding author and does not know the other authors, who are at different institutions to their own. They think that our journal is acting unfairly and is not defending their rights.
Questions for the Forum:
- How can publishers protect the rights of authors in response to such disputes?
- What should publishers value when the facts are not clear?
- Does COPE have any better suggestions or opinions on this case?