View source for Theme:783ea7a3-ab76-4622-a968-eb8c3efa7893

{{Theme
|Theme Type=Misconduct & Misbehaviors
|Has Parent Theme=Theme:85c71a25-b26a-4631-9620-05a9a84e3fd3
|Title=Not acknowledging contributors who do not qualify for authorship
|Is About=Every contribution to research should be properly acknowledged. When someone provides help, but does not qualify for authorship, they should be mentioned as contributors in the acknowledgment section. Not acknowledging contributors is considered a questionable research practice.
|Important Because=When someone does not fit into one the [http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html four criteria] for authors identified by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), they should not be listed as authors, but acknowledged as contributors. With regard to that, they should meet one of the following criteria:

-provide funding

-supervise a research group or provide general administrative support

-assist authors in writing, technical and language editing, and proofreading.<ref name=":0">Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors. ICMJE International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. [cited 2021 Sept 3]. Available from: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html.</ref>

Contributors may be acknowledged individually or as a group, and their contributions should be specified (reviewing the manuscript, collecting data, participation in writing or technical editing of the manuscript, etc.).<ref name=":0" /><ref>Paul-Hus A, Desrochers N. Acknowledgments are not just thank you notes: A qualitative analysis of acknowledgments content in scientific articles and reviews published in 2015. PLOS ONE. 2019;14(12):e0226727.</ref> Authors must obtain permission from contributors to acknowledge them in their papers.<ref>Authorship and contributorship. BMJ Author Hub. 2021 July. [cited 2021 Sept 3]. Available from: https://authors.bmj.com/policies/bmj-policy-on-authorship/.</ref>
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|Important For=Researchers; Editors; PhD students
|Has Best Practice=Variety of journals, such as [https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines PLOS ONE], [https://thelancet.com/pb/assets/raw/Lancet/authors/tlrm-info-for-authors.pdf The Lancet] or [https://www.nature.com/nature/for-authors/supp-info Nature], request complete disclosure and transparency from authors, so by not acknowledging your contributors you are disregarding the principle of transparency. This also means that you are not being completely honest because you do not acknowledge that someone has done a certain amount of work for you.

Some authors even use the help of professional writers who, for example, may substantially contribute to drafting or write a full first draft of the manuscript<ref name=":0">Acknowledging professional writing support in publications – are we doing enough? The Publication Plan. News for Medical Publications Professionals. 2021 Feb 26. [cited 2021 Sept 3]. Available from: https://thepublicationplan.com/2021/02/26/acknowledging-professional-writing-support-in-publications-are-we-doing-enough/.</ref>. In such a case, authors should also acknowledge the contribution and obtain a written permission from those named in acknowledgments.<ref name=":0" />
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}}
{{Related To
|Related To Resource=Resource:C023cf0c-9b78-4da0-ba95-57b217b8d7c2;Resource:76a5fddb-924e-48ba-a5d5-9b318bf8e477
|Related To Theme=Theme:Cbe88760-7f0e-4d6d-952b-b724bb0f375e
}}
{{Tags
|Has Virtue And Value=Honesty; Transparency; Fairness
|Has Good Practice And Misconduct=Publication ethics
}}