Council of Science Editors
A New Standard for Authorship (1998 proposal)
Paul J. Friedman, MD

Publication has become the essential achievement for academic advancement for both clinical and basic scientists, although the type and number of publications demanded may vary widely. Despite a recent increased emphasis on teaching as a meritorious activity, faculty and trainees realistically feel intense pressure to publish. One unfortunate result has been a proliferation of papers and journals and a variety of abuses of trainees, junior colleagues, and patients, and of integrity.

To help restore a sense of proportion and confidence in the validity of biomedical publication, this conference proposes a new step in the evolution of the concept of authorship. We propose to publish the contributions of the individuals associated with a manuscript. The information will be solicited on a modified copyright form, which will be filled out and signed by all the authors. We propose a check-off list, such as the following:

Authorship contributions:

  • Concept
  • Design
  • Supervision
  • Resources
  • Material
  • Data collection and/or processing 
  • Analysis and/or interpretation 
  • Literature search 
  • Writing 
  • Critical review
  • Other

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