Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2006
Abstract
Quality and quantity of publications are among the most important measures determining the success of ecologists. The past 50 years have seen a steady rise in the number of researchers and collaborative manuscripts, and a corresponding increase in multi-authored articles. Despite these increases, there remains a shortage of useful and definitive guidelines to aid ecologists in addressing authorship issues, leading to a lack of consistency in what the term “author” really means. Deciding where to draw the line between those who have earned authorship and those who are more appropriately credited in the acknowledgments may be one of the more challenging aspects of authorship. Here, we borrow ideas from other scientific disciplines and propose a simple solution to help ecologists who are making such decisions. We recommend improving communication between co-authors throughout the research process, and propose that authors publish their contributions to a manuscript in a separate byline.
Recommended Citation
Weltzin, Jake F., R. Travis Belote, Leigh T. Williams, Jason K. Keller, and E. Cayenne Engel. "Authorship in ecology: attribution, accountability, and responsibility." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 4.8 (2006): 435-441.
DOI:10.1890/15409295(2006)4[435:AIEAAA]2.0.CO;2
Copyright
Ecological Society of America
Comments
This article was originally published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, volume 4, issue 8, in 2006. DOI: 10.1890/15409295(2006)4[435:AIEAAA]2.0.CO;2