Misconduct and Misbehavior Related to Authorship Disagreements in Collaborative Science

Abstract

Scientific authorship serves to identify and acknowledge individuals who “contribute significantly” to published research. However, specific authorship norms and practices often differ within and across disciplines, labs, and cultures. As a consequence, authorship disagreements are commonplace in team research. This study aims to better understand the prevalence of authorship disagreements, those factors that may lead to disagreements, as well as the extent and nature of resulting misbehavior. Methods include an international online survey of researchers who had published from 2011 to 2015 (8364 respondents). Of the 6673 who completed the main questions pertaining to authorship disagreement and misbehavior, nearly half (46.6%) reported disagreements regarding authorship naming; and discipline, rank, and gender had significant effects on disagreement rates. Paradoxically, researchers in multidisciplinary teams that typically reflect a range of norms and values, were less likely to have faced disagreements regarding authorship. Respondents reported having witnessed a wide range of misbehavior including: instances of hostility (24.6%), undermining of a colleague’s work during meetings/talks (16.4%), cutting corners on research (8.3%), sabotaging a colleague’s research (6.4%), or producing fraudulent work to be more competitive (3.3%). These findings suggest that authorship disputes may contribute to an unhealthy competitive dynamic that can undermine researchers’ wellbeing, team cohesion, and scientific integrity.

Questions Used for Analysis

Title: Study on the Ethics of Authorship in Research Groups

Note: These questions are part of a larger study on authorship and acknowledgement ethics. Only specific questions that were used during the analysis of the manuscript have been included.

Definition of authorship naming: the inclusion of different contributors as authors in a research publication.

Have you ever encountered disagreement regarding authorship naming?

• Yes (1)

• No (2)

• I am not sure (3)

If No Is Selected, Then Skip Next Section, If I am not sure Is Selected, Then Skip to Next Section

How often do you have disagreements regarding authorship naming in your research collaborations?

• Rarely (1)

• Less than half of the time (2)

• About half the time (3)

• Most of the time (4)

• Always (5)

What factors caused or contributed to disagreements among team members? (Select all that apply.)

• Differing disciplinary practices (1)

• Different ways of valuing or measuring the importance of contribution (2)

• Confusion or lack of clarity regarding authorship definitions (3)

• Differing values (4)

• Differing ethics (5)

• Difference between the team’s authorship practices and those of the journal (6)

• Lack of agreement within the team (7)

• Other (please specify) (8) ____________________

Have you observed any of the following behaviors from scholars as a result of an authorship naming disagreement? (Select all that apply)

• Being hostile towards colleagues (1)

• Undermining the work of colleagues during group meetings/talks (2)

• Cutting corners on research to compete with a colleague (3)

• Sabotaging someone’s research (4)

• Producing fraudulent research to compete with or undermine the results of a colleague (5)

• Limiting further collaboration (6)

• Other (please specify) (7) ____________________

• No specific behavior has been observed (8)

Have you ever engaged in any of the following behaviors as a result of an authorship naming disagreement? (Select all that apply.)

• Being hostile towards colleagues (1)

• Undermining the work of colleagues during group meetings/talks (2)

• Cutting corners on research to compete with a colleagues (3)

• Sabotaging someone’s research (4)

• Producing fraudulent research to compete with or undermine the results of a colleague (5)

• Limiting further collaboration (6)

• Other (please specify) (7) ____________________

• I have not engaged in any specific behavior (8)

Definition of authorship ordering: The order in which authors are named on a research publication.

Have you ever encountered disagreement regarding author order?

• Yes (1)

• No (2)

• I am not sure (3)

If No Is Selected, Then Skip Next Section, If I am not sure Is Selected, Then Skip to Next Section

How often do you have disagreements regarding authorship ordering in your research collaborations?

• Rarely (1)

• Less than half of the time (2)

• About half the time (3)

• Most of the time (4)

• Always (5)

What factors have caused or contributed to disagreement in author order among team members? (Select all that apply.)

• Differing disciplinary practices (1)

• Differing ways of valuing or measuring the importance of contribution (2)

• Confusion and lack of clarify (e.g., process, criteria) (3)

• Differing values (4)

• Differing ethics (5)

• Differences between the team’s authorship practices and those of the journal (6)

• Lack of discussion and agreement within the team (7)

• Other (please specify) (8) ____________________

Have you observed any of the following behaviors from scholars as a result of an author order disagreement? (Select all that apply.)

• Being hostile towards colleagues (1)

• Undermining the work of colleagues during group meetings/talks (2)

• Cutting corners on research to compete with a colleague (3)

• Sabotaging someone’s research (4)

• Producing fraudulent research to compete with or undermine the results of a colleague (5)

• Limiting further collaboration (6)

• Other (please specify) (7) ____________________

• No specific behavior has been observed (8)

Have you engaged in any of the following behaviors from scholars as a result of an author order disagreement? (Select all that apply.)

• Being hostile towards colleagues (1)

• Undermining the work of colleagues during group meetings/talks (2)

• Cutting corners on research to compete with a colleague (3)

• Sabotaging someone’s research (4)

• Producing fraudulent research to compete with or undermine the results of a colleague (5)

• Limiting further collaboration (6)

• Other (please specify) (7) ____________________

• I have not engaged in any specific behavior (8)

What is your present role/rank? (Select all that apply.)

• Bachelor’s student (1)

• Master’s student (2)

• Doctoral student or candidate (3)

• Postdoctoral fellow (5)

• Lecturer (teaching graduate or undergraduate courses)

• Technician or technician assistant (e.g., statistician, laboratory assistant) (7)

• Research assistant (8)

• Research associate (at public or private institution) (6)

• Senior researcher (at public or private institution)

• Assistant professor (9)

• Associate professor (10)

• Full professor (11)

• Emeritus professor (12)

• Other (please specify) (13) ____________________

What is your gender?

• Male (1)

• Female (2)

• Other (3)

• I prefer not to answer (4)

What is your area(s) of study? (Select all that apply.)

• Social Sciences (1)

• Humanities (2)

• Medical Sciences (3)

• Natural Sciences and Engineering (4)

• Other (please specify) (5) ________