Authorship

Number of Authors

Different professional societies and publications have different guidelines for who should be considered an author, but in general, a person whose involvement was “substantial” is included as an author, in that the manuscript would not have been produced without the person’s contribution. For example, conducting a literature search for related materials usually would not merit authorship, whereas writing the literature review would. Proofreading a manuscript before submission would not merit authorship, whereas making revisions based on reviewer recommendations would.

Products requiring extensive time or work, such as books, longitudinal studies, and lengthy reviews, may merit more authors. Some journals charge fees for number of pages published or open-access processing that can be several thousand dollars. Sometimes a large number of co-authors are included to share not only the publication credit but also the cost; however, it is considered inappropriate to recognize a person for authorship merely to defray the cost of publication.

Order of Authors

Authorship is the public affirmation of the relative contribution of those involved in the creation of the manuscript. In the social sciences, generally, the person doing most of the writing is listed as the first author regardless of other contributions. In some fields, such as some of the natural sciences, the last author is assumed to be the most important. The student is almost always the first author on any publications resulting from a dissertation. Involvement in the project and order of authorship should be discussed and established early. However, order of authorship may be modified as the project progresses and involvement shifts.

Issues in Authorship

Although sole and first authorship are usually valued most, inappropriate practices can be a concern. Sole authorships are thought to be more likely to be fraudulent. Some demand first authorship regardless of degree of involvement. Some demand authorship for sharing a database or a minor contribution even if they are not involved with the study or manuscript. Adding a department chair or committee chair as an author for a work he or she was not directly involved with is inappropriate. Authorship is not a gift; it is a valued recognition of scholarly work.