Beyond authorship: Analyzing contributions in PLOS ONE and the challenges of appropriate attribution
Article Category: Research Papers
Published Online: May 31, 2024
Page range: 88 - 115
Received: Jan 30, 2024
Accepted: May 20, 2024
Keywords
© 2024 Abdelghani Maddi et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of authorship attributions in scientific publications, focusing on the fairness and precision of individual contributions within academic works.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes 81,823 publications from the journal
Findings
Surprisingly, 9.14% of articles feature at least one author with inappropriate authorship, affecting over 14,000 individuals (2.56% of the sample). Inappropriate authorship is more concentrated in Asia, Africa, and specific European countries like Italy. Established researchers with significant publication records and those affiliated with companies or nonprofits show higher instances of potential monetary authorship.
Research limitations
Our findings are based on contributions as declared by the authors, which implies a degree of trust in their transparency. However, this reliance on self-reporting may introduce biases or inaccuracies into the dataset. Further research could employ additional verification methods to enhance the reliability of the findings.
Practical implications
These findings have significant implications for journal publishers, highlighting the necessity for robust control mechanisms to ensure the integrity of authorship attributions. Moreover, researchers must exercise discernment in determining when to acknowledge a contributor and when to include them in the author list. Addressing these issues is crucial for maintaining the credibility and fairness of academic publications.
Originality/value
This study contributes to an understanding of critical issues within academic authorship, shedding light on the prevalence and impact of inappropriate authorship attributions. By calling for a nuanced approach to ensure accurate credit is given where it is due, the study underscores the importance of upholding ethical standards in scholarly publishing.