In an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group of prominent scholars, scientists, and editors have issued a call for common standards and transparency in author contributions and responsibilities. The paper, developed at a Sunnylands retreat of the National Academy of Sciences, in partnership with the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC), sets out specific recommendations outlining the responsibilities of authors, and urges journals and research institutions to precisely clarify the role each author plays in a study or article.

The group aims to promote standards that will carry across a range of scientific fields, publications and international cultures, prevent authors from “gaming the system,” and discourage a raft of detrimental practices such as ghost, gift, honorary, and forged authorship that can harm scientific integrity.

Read an APPC synopsis of the report.