Researcher responsibilities

The Code states, as a researcher, you must:

1. Ensure that authors of research outputs are all those, and only those, who have made a significant intellectual or scholarly contribution to the research and its output, and that they agree to be listed as an author (R25); and
2. Acknowledge those who have contributed to the research (R26).

What does this mean

All authors share responsibility for the validity, originality, and integrity of the work. This includes:

• Adhering to author eligibility criteria.
• Ensuring accurate reporting and credit assignment.
• Reaching written agreement on authorship before submission.
• Offering authorship to those who qualify, but not to those who do not.
• Fairly acknowledging contributions, including from funding agencies.
• Disclosing and managing conflicts of interest.

Who is an author?

The National Health and Medical Council (NHMCR) defines an author as someone who:

• has made a significant intellectual or scholarly contribution to the research and its output, and
• agrees to be listed as an author.

Contributions that do not meet authorship criteria should still be acknowledged, such as technical support.

Significant intellectual or scholarly contribution

The NHRMC Authorship guide, states a significant contribution includes one or more of the following:

• Conception and design of the project.
• Acquisition of research data requiring significant intellectual input.
• Contribution of knowledge, including Indigenous knowledge.
• Analysis or interpretation of research data.
• Drafting or critically revising significant parts of the research output.

Mitigating disagreements

To avoid disputes, discuss and agree on authorship early in the project. Record the agreed authorship in a statement. For simpler publications, use the Agreed record of authorship template. For more complex publications, use the Detailed Authorship Record.

Remember the authorship process is dynamic and flexible. Statements can be revisited and updated as needed.

Authorship statements should be completed for all research publications, including sole-author publications.

Resolving disagreements

If conflicts arise, try to resolve them collegially with those involved, using the Research Authorship Procedure and the Research Code as guides. Researchers may first wish to discuss and seek advice from a research integrity advisor.

If the conflict persists, follow the steps in the Disputes and Conflicts section of the Research Authorship Procedure.

Need help

When in doubt, find out. If you have concerns about authorship, try to resolve them locally using the resources mentioned. If disputes are challenging to manage, seek advice from a research integrity advisor or contact the research integrity unit at researchintegrity@csu.edu.au.