Clear policies (that allow for transparency around who contributed to the work and in what capacity) should be in place for requirements for authorship and contributorship as well as processes for managing potential disputes.
Editors cannot police author or contributor listings for every submission but may sometimes have suspicions that an author list is incomplete or includes undeserving (guest or gift) authors. The COPE flowchart Ghost, guest or gift authorship in a submitted manuscript suggests actions for these situations. The points in this flowchart are designed to help editors be alert for inappropriate authorship and spot warning signs which may indicate problems.
The COPE authorship discussion document introduces issues and aims to stimulate discussion around authorship. COPE welcomes comments which add to the ongoing debate.
The topic for discussion at this Forum was ‘Authorship, contributorship, who’s doing what, and what do we need?’ Authorship issues are one of the most common issues that COPE members have to deal with. Leaving aside the ethically problematic issues of ghost, guest and gift authorship, seemingly simpler authorship disputes of for example, who deserves authorship, or what author order should be are very common across most disciplines
COPE's guidance, as a flowchart, on what to do for removal of an author after publication.
Key points
Ask why the author wishes to be removed from list – refer to journal guidelines orthe authorship declaration which should state that all authors meet the appropriate criteria. Ask if author suspects fraud or misconduct.
COPE's first webinar for information, shared discussion and practical advice on common authorship issues faced by COPE members, was held in June 2017.
Guest speakers:
Deborah Poff, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Academic Ethics
Kelly Cobey, Senior Clinical Research Associate, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Liz Allen, Director of Strategic Initiatives, F1000
On Thursday 29 June 2-3pm we're holding our first webinar for information, shared discussion and practical advice on common authorship issues faced by COPE members.
Three guest speakers will present their views: Deborah Poff, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Academic Ethics; Kelly Cobey Senior Clinical Research Associate at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada; Liz Allen, Director of Strategic Initiatives at F1000.