Who Is an Author?

Greetings again. I hope all is going well.

Last week, someone asked whether AuthorAID mentors are listed as authors of papers they help with.

This question raises a broader issue: Who qualifies to be listed as an author of a paper?

In some fields, the answer is easy, because 1 person plans the research, does it, and writes about it. That 1 person is then the author.

In other fields, such as physics and medicine, often teams of people do research. Which team members qualify to be authors?

The general principle is that people who made important intellectual contributions should be listed as authors. Some editors say that to be an author, a person must take part in planning the research, interpreting the data, and writing the paper. Others say that having just some of these roles can suffice.

People who helped with the work but do not qualify to be authors can be listed in the Acknowledgments.

For those wanting to read more, I’ve posted in the AuthorAID Resource Library some links to readings about authorship.

So, are AuthorAID mentors listed as authors?

Normally, the help that AuthorAID mentors provide (for example, improving the writing in papers) does NOT qualify them to be authors. If the authors wish, though, they can thank such mentors in the Acknowledgments.

Rarely, an AuthorAID mentor might add substantially to a mentee’s research—for example, by proposing and analyzing additional experiments. Then authorship might be appropriate. But normally an AuthorAID mentor should not be listed as an author.

Wishing everyone a good week— Barbara