Co-authorship disputes are not uncommon in the scientific community. As the number of collaborations has increased, the likelihood of conflicts between research participants has increased. These disputes are unpleasant and can undermine trust in the team, affect reputation and even lead to legal consequences. Nevertheless, such conflicts can be prevented or constructively resolved.
Resolving disputes about co-authorship
Successful scientific research is not just about a brilliant idea and hours spent in the lab. It is also a team effort that requires teamwork. But as soon as it comes to publishing, one of the most delicate issues arises: who should be a co-author and who should not? And if opinions differ, conflict erupts.
Let us consider the key approaches to resolving such disputes.
1. Discuss co-authorship issues at the research planning stage
At this stage, it is important to agree on the preliminary composition of authors and the order in which they are listed. However, it should be realised that during the process of conducting the study and preparing the manuscript, changes may occur, both in the composition of authors and in the order in which they are listed. Therefore, such issues should be discussed regularly at all stages of publication preparation: from data collection and analysis to writing, submitting and editing the article during the peer review process.
2. Use of international standards
Guidelines from international organisations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, as well as rules for authors on the websites of scientific journals, can help regulate co-authorship conflicts. The key principles governing co-authorship may vary according to discipline, research project and other factors. Nevertheless, there are general principles that are important to consider to avoid disputes over authorship: each author must have made a substantial contribution to the formulation of the hypothesis, the collection or analysis of data, and the writing or editing of the text.
However, the availability of funding, administration of the project, or general assistance are usually not sufficient grounds for inclusion in the list of authors.
Appealing to international standards allows for a more objective view when disagreements arise.
3. Mediation and third parties
If the conflict over authorship goes too far and the participants in a research project cannot reach agreement, it may make sense to seek a mediator with a neutral position. This role may include a research team leader, ethics committee representative, research coordinator or other authoritative member of the academic community.
The mediator helps to listen to the positions of all parties, take into account all ethical standards and find a compromise solution acceptable to all participants.
4. Documentation of contributions
Another effective way to prevent authorship disputes is to regularly document the contributions of each project participant. The CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system can be used for this purpose, which allows to clearly indicate the area of responsibility of each author: conceptualisation, writing the text of the paper, data analysis, interpretation of results and other key stages of the work.
This approach promotes greater transparency in the distribution of author roles, allows to rely on recorded facts in case of disagreement, and helps to avoid the inclusion in the list of authors of those who have not made a real scientific contribution.
5. Establishing a written agreement on authorship
If possible, authorship issues should be resolved before work on the article begins. A written agreement that clearly states the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of each participant can help avoid misunderstandings and establish clear agreements. Such an agreement can play a key role in resolving potential disputes in the future.
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