Who is an author or co-author of a scientific paper? - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Who is an author or co-author of a scientific paper?

Prof. Dr.

Yoav

Bashan

Bashan Foundation

Group

of Environmental Microbiology, CIBNOR

Slide2

Inflation in co-authors?

The mean number of authors per article increased steadily from 3.21 (1975) to 4.46 (1995) to 5.2 (2004)

to 5.8 (2010)

(

Journal of American Medical Association

).

In Mexico, papers with >6 co-authors are the most common (CIBNOR, 2004-2011)

In Mexico, excessive authors > 8 co-authors can be found in any institutional publication list

(CIBNOR, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011, CCG 2011)

Common phenomenon in developing countries and few European countries (France, Germany, Spain)

Slide3

Inflation in co-authors?

The champions:

Aad et al. (+

2,926

co-authors)

Journal of Instrumentation

3:S08003 (Physics)

972

authors.The New England Journal of Medicine

329

: 673. (Clinical trials)

Slide4

Multiple authors at CIBNOR

(doctorate publications)

Llanes-Cárdenas, O.

,

M. Norzagaray-Campos, Y. Maya-Delgado, P. Muñoz-Sevilla, F.A. Beltrán-Morales, B. Murillo-Amador, E. Troyo-Diéguez.

2011

. Efectos hidroambientales de la extracción de agua del acuífero del río Sinaloa. Universidad y Ciencia. 27(3):239-249. (

F.I. 0,

7 authors

)

Silva-Segundo, C.A

.

, M. Brito-Chavarria, E.F. Balart, I.A. Barriga-Sosa, R. Rojas-Esquivel, M.I. Roldán, G. Murugan, F.J. García-De León.

2011

. Clarifying the taxonomic status of

Merluccius

spp. in the northeastern Pacific: a combined morphological and molecular approach. Rev Fish Biol Fisher. 21:259-282.

(F.I. 3.609,

8 authors

)

Valdez-Muñoz, C.

,

E.A. Aragón-Noriega, A. Ortega-Rubio, C.A. Salinas-Zavala, J.A. Arreola-Lizárraga, S. Hernández-Vázquez, L.F. Beltrán-Morales.

2010

. Distribución y abundancia de juveniles de totoaba,

Totoaba macdonaldi

y la salinidad del hábitat de crianza. Interciencia. 35(2):136-139. (

F.I. 0.351,

7 authors

)

Slide5

“Inflation” of authors at CIBNOR:

Abuse of the system? Or the new reality for personal survival?

8

authors

. 2004.

Journal of Environmental Biology. Vol. 25:27-38

11

authors.

2004. Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development. Vol. 6:78-89

9

authors. 2004. Molecular Reproduction and Development.

Vol. 69:17-21 (

A

doctoral study

containing only 4 pages

)

10

authors. 2004. Revista Biología Tropical.

Vol. 52:99-108.

9

authors 2004. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. Vol 17:156-164.

9

authors 2005. Terra Latinoamericana. Vol. 23:381-387.

9

authors 2005. Aquaculture Research. Vol 36:110-112 (

3 pages manuscript

).

8

authors. 2005. Plant and Soil. 217: 297-307.

8

authors. 2005. Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development. Vol. 7:84-96.

9

authors. 2005. Marine Pollution Bulletin. Vol. 50:208-236.

8

authors

.

2005.

Environmental Pollution. Vol. 133:139-146

9

authors. 2005. Bioinorganic Chemistry and Applications. Vol. 3:81-91

Slide6

“Inflation” of authors at CIBNOR:

Abuse of the system? Or the new reality for personal survival?

8 authors. 2011. Terra Latinoamericana. 28:391-399

8 authors. 2011.

Tropical Subtropical Agroecosystems. 13:157-167

.

9 authors. 2011. Evolution (in press)

8 authors. 2010. Fish Physiol Biochem. 36:29-37.

9 authors. 2010. Scientia Horticulturae. 125:171-178

8 authors. 2010. J Plant Nutr Soil Sc. 173:927-934.

8 authors. 2010. Plant Disease. 94:1266.

(1 page)

9 authors. 2010. Chromosome Res. 18:575.586.

8 authors. 2010. J Plant Nutr. 33:423-438.

8 authors. 2010. Estudios Sociales. 18:177-201

8 authors. 2010. Rev Mex Cienc Pecu. 1:363-372

Slide7

Who is an author or co-author of a scientific paper?

There is no absolute or obligatory rule

However, there are guidelines by the

International committee of Medical Journal editors

October 2005

(accepted by 500 medical journals):

VANCOUVER PROTOCOL

(http://www.icmje.org/index.html)

Consequently

There is always the possibility of abuse by scientists

(who are common human beings)

Or may be this is the new reality for personal survival?

Slide8

Who is a co-author?

International committee of medical Journal editors

October 2005

Substantial

contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data

Writing the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content

Final approval of the version to be published

Authors should meet all above conditions

Slide9

Who is an author?

International committee of medical Journal editors

October 2005

Someone who has made

substantive

intellectual

contributions to a published study

When there is a single author, life is simple:

León de la Luz J.L. 2005.

Evaluation of the conservation status of

Morangaya pensilis

(Cactaceae), a little known endemic monotypic genus of southern Baja California, Mexico.

Oryx. Vol. 39:219-222

However, very few studies these days

have a single author

Slide10

Requirements: Who is a co-author?

VANCOUVER PROTOCOL

All persons designated as authors in the paper should qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify should be listed.

Each author should have

participated sufficiently

in the work to be able to

explain

most of the work in public

(a seminar)

The study could not be published without the contribution of the co-author

(my opinion and others)

Slide11

Who is

not

a co-author?

International committee of medical Journal editors

October 2005

Person who acquired only funding

Person who only collects data; technician

Person who had general supervision of the research group (head of a department)

Administrator of the project

Proofreading personal

Editing manuscript drafts for style and presentation, but not an input of significant ideas

Providing materials or research space

All the above activities do not justify authorship

Slide12

Contributors listed in Acknowledgments

Examples of those who might be acknowledged include:

A person who provided purely technical help

Writing assistance

A department chair who provided only general support

A general consultant

(another researcher at the lab discussing the subject)

Slide13

Who is an author or co-author?

It is not so easy to define

The person who designed the study

The person who executed the study

The graduate student who did the thesis

The supervisor of a graduate student (?)

The research technician who made many significant analyses of the study

The service technician who made many routine analyses of the study (?)

The person who analyzed and interpret the data

Slide14

Who is an author or co-author?

It is not so easy to define

The person who actually wrote the manuscript

The person who discussed the data with the main authors (?)

A member of the group where the study has been done (?)

The technical editor of the paper (?)

The person who financed the study (?)

The director of the department who authorized the study (?)

A well known scientist who marginally participate in the study (?)

The General Director of the institute (

Soviet Union and Germany cases) (?)

Slide15

New requirements for publications

More journals (

only medical journals today

) are requesting the authors of accepted papers to confirm that they meet the criteria of the International committee of Journal editors

More and more journals are publishing their specific criteria for authorship to help authors decide who should be included in the list of authors

Some journals also require each author to complete and sign a statement of authorship indicating their significant contributions to the manuscript.

(

Also to have the related contribution for possible defense

)

Consequently

, in some journals the number of authors per article dropped

Slide16

Analysis of examples for co-authorship of scientific papers

de-Bashan, L.E., Antoun, H., and Bashan, Y.

2005. Cultivation factors and population size control uptake of nitrogen by the microalgae

Chlorella vulgaris

when interacting with the microalgae growth-promoting bacterium

Azospirillum brasilense.

FEMS Microbiology Ecology 54:

197-203

de-Bashan, L.E.- The graduate student who

did the work

and

wrote

the paper

Antoun, H.- The foreign director of the thesis who

corrected the draft

but was absent during the study but

communicated regularly by email

with the student

Bashan, Y. The local

supervisor of the work

and help

writing

the paper

Slide17

Analysis of examples for co-authorship of scientific papers

Hernandez, J.-P., de-Bashan, L. E. and Bashan Y.

2006.

Starvation enhances phosphorus removal from wastewater by the microalga

Chlorella

spp. co-immobilized with

Azospirillum brasilense.

Enzyme and Microbial Technology

38:190-198

Hernandez, J.-P.- The graduate student who

did the work

de-Bashan, L. E. – The director of the thesis

involved

in the daily supervision

.

Bashan Y.- The co-director who also

wrote the manuscript

, but less involved in daily operations

Anonymous – the scientist

suggested

the topic

Slide18

Analysis of examples for co-authorship of scientific papers

Holguin, G., Gonzalez-Zamorano P., de-Bashan L.E., Mendoza, R., Amador E. and Bashan Y.

2006.

Mangrove health in an arid environment encroached by urban development – a case study.

Science of the Total Environment

363: 260-274

Authors:

Holguin, G.,

Coordinated

the entire study

Gonzalez-Zamorano P.,

Did

the geographical study

de-Bashan L.E.,

Did

the phytoplankton study

Mendoza, R.,

Did

the bird study

Amador E.,

Did

the bird study

Bashan Y.,

Analyzed

the entire study and

wrote

the manuscript

Slide19

Analysis of examples for co-authorship of scientific papers

Holguin, G., Gonzalez-Zamorano, P., de-Bashan L.E., Mendoza, R., Amador E. and Bashan Y.

2006.

Mangrove health in an arid environment encroached by urban development – a case study.

Science of the Total Environment 363: 260-274

20 technical assistants but not co-authors

Joaquin Rivera, Raymundo Domínguez, and Franco Cota, analysis of the vegetation

Luis Leyva, Macario Bacilio, and Manuel-Antonio Ruiz, field sampling

Ana Flores-Mireles, Patricia Vazquez, Norma Ochoa, and Angel Carrillo, counting bacteria

Francisco Hernandez, analyzing pigments

Lina-Maria Gonzalez, analyzing phytoplankton

Sonia Rocha, determining total nitrogen

Iván Murillo, analyzing water nutrients

Manuel Moreno and Ariel Cruz, the acetylene reduction assay

Manuel Trasviña, soil nutrient analysis

Juan-Pablo Hernandez, statistical analysis and preparing graphic material

Taylor Morey, improving the English

Ira Fogel, editing of the manuscript

Slide20

Analysis of examples for co-authorship of scientific papers

Rodriguez, H., Mendoza, A., Cruz, M.A., Holguin, G., Glick B.R., and Bashan, Y

. 2006.

Pleiotropic physiological effects in the plant growth-promoting bacterium

Azospirillum

brasilense

following chromosomal labeling in the

clpX

gene.

FEMS Microbiology

Ecology

57: 217-225

Rodriguez, H. Did the

planning

and most of the

technical work

Mendoza, A. Did the

gene analysis

Cruz, M.A. Technician. Did the

technical work

with Mendoza

.

Holguin, G. Participated in the initial

technical work

Glick B.R.

Suggested the model

for the work and significantly helped with the

writing

Bashan, Y.

Planed

the work with Rodriguez,

coordinated

the entire study,

analyzed

the data and

wrote

the paper

.

Slide21

Analysis of examples for co-authorship of scientific papers

Bashan, Y., Khaosaad, T., Salazar, B.G.,

Ocampo, J. A. Wiemken, A. Oehl, F.

and Vierheilig, H.

.

2007.

Mycorrhizal characterization of the boojum tree,

Fouquieria columnaris

, an endemic ancient tree from the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Trees 21: 329-335

Authors:

Bashan, Y

., - Made the plans and the field study, wrote the initial draft of the paper.

Khaosaad, T.,

- Prepared root samples for analysis

Salazar, B.G

., - Made the field study

Ocampo, J. A

. – Was the new boss of

Vierheilig

Wiemken, A

. – Was the boss of Oehl

Oehl, F

. – Analyzed mycorrhizae on roots

Vierheilig, H

- Made the plans and the field study, wrote the final version and run the publication process

Slide22

Abuses of authorship

Ethical Corruption?

Authorship inflation (too many authors)

“Ghost" authors (too few true authors, real authors not listed).

“Guest” authors (friendship, mutual interest)

“Pressured” authorship

“Courtesy” “honor” authorship

Slide23

The most important conclusions:

1. Those who have really done the work have an interest in seeing that their role is not

devalued

and

diluted

by the inclusion of many who have done little or nothing

2. Eventually, the minor co-authorships will disappear because journal’s pressure to take personal responsibility from each author

So far this has not happened

Slide24

Gracias,

...and think about it.