Selected References on Authorship

Historical Perspective

Biagioli M: The instability of authorship: credit and responsibility in contemporary biomedicine. FASEB Journal 1998; 12:3-16.

Fye WB: Medical authorship: traditions, trends, and tribulations. Ann Intern Med 1990; 113:317-25.

Criteria for authorship

[Anonymous]: Editorial consensus on authorship and other matters. Lancet 1985; ii (8455):595.

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: Guidelines on authorship. BMJ 1985; 291:722.

Huth EJ: Guidelines on authorship of medical papers. Ann Intern Med 1986; 104:269-74.

Institute of Medicine, Committee on the Responsible Conduct of Research: The responsible conduct of research in the health sciences. Washington, DC: National Academy of Science Press 1989.

Conrad CC: Authorship, acknowledgment, and other credits. In: Ethics and policy in scientific publication. CSE Editorial Policy Committee, Bethesda, MD: Council of Biology Editors, Inc, 1990; pp 184-187.

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, 5th Edition. JAMA 1997; 277:927-34.

Online sources:

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, 5th Edition.
URL: <http://www.acponline.org/journals/resource/unifreqr.htm>

Society for Neuroscience Ad Hoc Committee on Responsibility in Publishing: Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication, Draft for circulation, version 7.7, 26 June 1998.
URL: <http://www.sfn.org/guidelines/guidelines-v7-7.doc>

Studies of Authorship Practices

Veronica Yank, BA, and Drummond Rennie, MD: Disclosure of Researcher Contributions: A Study of Original Research Articles in The Lancet

Moulopoulos SD, Sideris DA, Georgilis KA: Individual contributions to multiauthor papers. BMJ 1983; 287:1608-10.

Kalichman MW, Friedman PJ: A pilot study of biomedical trainees’ perceptions concerning research ethics. Acad d 1992; 67:769-75.

Shapiro DW, Wenger NS, Shapiro MF: The contributions of authors to multiauthored biomedical research papers. JAMA 1994; 271:438-442.

Goodman NW: Survey of fulfillment of criteria for authorship in published medical research. BMJ 1994; 309:1482.

Bebeau MJ, Davis EL: Survey of ethical issues in dental research. J Dent Res 1996; 75:845-855.

Eastwood S, rish P, Leash E, Ordway S: Ethical issues in biomedical research: perceptions and practices of postdoctoral research fellows responding to a survey. Sci Eng Ethics 1996; 2:89-114.

Stone RM: Coauthors’ contributions to major papers published in the AJR: frequency of undeserved authorship. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1996; 167:571-9.

Bhopal RS, Rankin JM, McCol E et al.: The vexed question of authorship: views of researchers in a British medical faculty. BMJ 1997; 314:1009-1012.
URL <http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/314/7086/1009>

Drenth JPH: Multiple authorship: the contribution of senior authors. JAMA 1998; 280:219-221.
URL <http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/jama/vol_280/no_3/jpv71032.htm>

Flanagin A, Carey LA, Fontanarosa PB et al. (1998) Prevalence of articles with honorary authors and ghost authors in peer-reviewed medical journals. JAMA 1998; 280:222-224.
URL <http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/jama/vol_280/no_3/jpv80004.htm>

Hoen WP, Walvoort HC, Overbeke AJPM: What are the factors determining authorship and the order of the authors’ names: A study among authors of the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (Dutch Journal of Medicine). JAMA 1998; 280:217-218. URL <http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/jama/vol_280/no_3/jpv71016.htm>

Conferences on Authorship

Godlee F: Definition of “authorship” may be changed. Br Med J 1996; 312:1501-1502

Horton R, Smith R: Time to redefine authorship. A conference to do so [editorial]. Br Med J 1996; 312:723.

Horton R, Smith R: Signing up for authorship [editorial]. Lancet 1996; 347:780.

Leash E: Do we need to redefine authorship? Conference on authorship, University of Nottingham, UK, 6 June 1996. Oral Diseases 1996; 2:244-5.

Lundberg GD, Glass RM: What does authorship mean in a peer-reviewed medical journal? [editorial] JAMA 1996; 276:75.

Rennie D, Yank V, Emanuel L: When authorship fails: a proposal to make contributors accountable.[abstract available] JAMA 1997; 278:579-585.
URL: <http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/jama/vol_278/no_7/jsc6298a.htm>

Editorials on Authorship

Huth EJ: Abuses and uses of authorship. Ann Intern Med 1986; 104:266-267.

Huth EJ: Irresponsible authorship and wasteful publication. Ann Intern Med 1986; 104:257-259.

Stossel TP: Volume: papers and academic promotion. Ann Intern Med 1987; 106:146-9.

Riesenberg D, Lundberg GD: The order of authorship: Who’s on first? JAMA 1990; 264:1857.

Kassirer JP, Angell M: On authorship and acknowledgments. N Engl J Med 1991; 325:1510-1512.

[Anonymous]: Are academic institutions corrupt? Lancet 1993; 342:315-6.

Rennie D, Flanagin A: Authorship! Authorship! Guests, ghosts, grafters, and the two-sided coin. JAMA 1994; 271:469-471.

Smith J: Gift authorship: a poisoned chalice? Not usually, but it devalues the coinage of scientific publication. BMJ 1994; 309:1456-1457.

[Anonymous]: Games people play with authors’ names. Nature 1997; 387:831.

Smith R: authorship: time for a paradigm shift? The authorship system is broken and may need a radical solution. BMJ 1997; 314:992.

Horton R: The unmasked carnival of science. Lancet 1998; 351:688-9.

Opinion Papers and Letters

Broad WJ: Crisis in publishing: credit or credibility? Science 1982; 32:645-7.

Angell M: Publish or perish: a proposal. Ann Intern Med 1986; 104:261-262.

Pitkin RM: Pride of authorship. Obstet Gynecol 1987; 70:401-402.

Engler RL, Covell JW, Friedman PJ, Kitcher PS, Peters RM: Misrepresentation and responsibility in medical research. N Engl J Med 1987; 317:1383-1389.

[Various respondents]: Misrepresentation and responsibility in medical research (responses to Engler et al.). New Engl J Med 1988; 318:1395-6.

Engler RL, Covell JW, Friedman PJ, Kitcher PS, Peters RM: Misrepresentation and responsibility in medical research [letter]. N Engl J Med 1988; 318:1395-1396.

Huth EJ: Editors and the problems of authorship: rulemakers or gatekeepers? In: Ethics and policy in scientific publication. CSE Editorial Policy Committee. Bethesda, MD: Council of Biology Editors, Inc, 1990; pp. 175-180.

Pinching AJ: On authorship and acknowledgments [letter]. N Engl J Med 1992; 326:1084-1085.

Huth EJ: Uses and abuses of scientific authorship: can and should they be controlled? In: Cheney D, ed. Ethical Issues in Research. Frederick, MD: University Publishing Group, 1993; pp 57-63.

Oliver MF: Al, or the anonymity of authorship. Lancet 1995; 345:668.

Horowitz HW, Fiebach NH, Levitz SM, Seibel J, Smail EH, Telzak EE, Wormser GP, Nadelman RB, Montecalvo M, Nowakowski J, Raffalli J: Ode to multiauthorship: a multicentre, prospective random poem. Lancet 1996; 348:1746.

Huth EJ: Authorship standards: progress in slow motion. CSE Views 1997; 20:127-132.

Leash E: Is it time for a new approach to authorship? J Dent Res 1997; 76:724-727.

Knight J: Multiple authorship. Science 1997; 275:461.

[Various respondents]: Authorship (responses to editorial by R Smith). BMJ 1997; 315:744-8.

Wilcox LJ: Authorship: the coin of the realm, the source of complaints. JAMA 1998; 280:216-217.
URL <http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/jama/vol_280/no_3/jpv71009.htm>

Fraud and Gift Authorship

Relman AS: Lessons from the Darsee affair. N Engl J Med 1983; 308:1415-1417.

Knox RA: Deeper problems for Darsee: Emory probe. JAMA 1983; 249:2867-76.

Dan B: The paper chase. JAMA 1983; 249:2872-3.

Stewart WW, Feder N: The integrity of the scientific literature. Ntaure 1987; 325:207-14.

Braunwald E: On analysing scientific fraud. Nature 1987; 325:215-6.

[Anonymous]: Fraud, libel and the literature. Nature 1987; 325:181-2.

Engler RL, Covell JW, Friedman PJ, Kitcher PS, Peters RM: Misrepresentation and responsibility in medical research. New Engl J Med 1987; 317:1383-9.