Themes

(re)submitting without consent of all authors

What is this about?

Papers and grant applications should only be submitted or resubmitted after consent from all authors. Not getting consent from all authors is considered a questionable research practice, and goes against the widely recognized recommendations from ICMJE (1).^[1] Not gaining consent from all authors can lead to reputational damage for authors, especially when the article or application does not meet the standards of the non-consenting authors.

Why is this important?

Gaining consent from all authors before submitting a manuscript demonstrates honesty and respect for colleagues. A number of cases have drawn attention to this questionable research practice. For example, a co-author found out a conference paper was re-published in another journal by the first author, without getting consent from all authors.^[2] Moreover, that same first author later translated the conference paper to their native language and published it in a journal written in that language, still listing all authors without consent. In this way, the co-author self-plagiarized without being aware of it. This case led to a request to the journal to retract the article.

For whom is this important?

Journal editorsPublishersResearchers

What are the best practices?

Institutions and journals need to have clear guidelines on publication and authorship in place. Guidelines should involve a section about gaining consent from all authors before submitting a manuscript or grant proposal. The Forum from COPE suggests that journals should send acknowledgements to all listed authors, not just the corresponding author, upon receiving a manuscript.^[3]

Other information

Virtues & Values

Respect

Good Practices & Misconduct

Publication ethics

References

↑ ICMJE (2019) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Accessed via: http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf
↑ Academia.stackexchange (2015). What to do after I was named as co-author on a paper, without my consent? Accessed via: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/49573/what-to-do-after-i-was-named-as-co-author-on-a-paper-without-my-consent
↑ COPE (2013). Paper submitted for publication without consent or knowledge of co-authors. Accessed via: https://publicationethics.org/case/paper-submitted-publication-without-consent-or-knowledge-co-authors

Iris Lechner, Natalie Evans contributed to this theme. Latest contribution was Oct 28, 2020

[1] ICMJE (2019) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Accessed via: http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf

[2] Academia.stackexchange (2015). What to do after I was named as co-author on a paper, without my consent? Accessed via: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/49573/what-to-do-after-i-was-named-as-co-author-on-a-paper-without-my-consent

[3] COPE (2013). Paper submitted for publication without consent or knowledge of co-authors. Accessed via: https://publicationethics.org/case/paper-submitted-publication-without-consent-or-knowledge-co-authors

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