Authorship Guidelines for INARELS Projects

The process and outcome of INARELS research projects are intended to be disseminated to various communities of interest. The collaborative nature of INARELS research projects and the unique contributions of individuals and institutions to that process require thoughtful consideration in decisions about authorship of research products. Clearly outlining an authorship policy prior to the collaborative research process is critical to INARELS Founders’ commitment to fostering productive relationships among partners with varied expertise and interests. The following authorship guidelines will guide the dissemination of all research ideas, processes and outcomes conducted under INARELS. The guidelines are not obligatory for independent research projects by INARELS partners, although lead researchers and their collaborators are welcome to use these guidelines as a framework for creating authorship policies that best serve their unique needs. Key issues in this authorship policy include:

• Identifying lead authors for particular manuscripts in advance
• Minimum criteria for authorship for faculty and students
• Timeline for when authors can join a project

We hope that the INARELS guidelines below will provide a useful starting point for these discussions.

INARELS Philosophy on Authorship

• We are committed to high-quality rigorous scholarship and social effective social practices as a result of the collaborative process.
• We undertake to disseminate high quality data and findings through top-tier (peer-reviewed academic) publications and other impactful non-scholarly avenues.
• We strive for inclusivity in authorship, assuming that potential authors demonstrate interest in and commitment to, have been active participants, and have made meaningful contributions to a given research project and manuscript development.
• In cases of doubt, all contributors in the research process or manuscript will be acknowledged in relevant appendices or as contributors in the publication.
• Each contributing author’s role should be enticing, offering the most professional benefit for the most reasonable amount of work.
• We seek the most publications and other products with less time, INARELS projects are time consuming.
• If there are no appropriate outlets for project outcomes, our data will made available on the INARELS (and other public) websites or relevant cost-effective outlets.
• INARELS is interdisciplinary and pursues multidisciplinary projects. Collaborators are expected to contribute to projects outside your discipline, in trade for collaboration on projects within their own discipline. INARELS views this arrangement as an opportunity for professional development.
• INARELS is funded to support both networking and specific research projects. As such, INARELS will support the development of research ideas and facilitate the formation of research groups, including the development of grant proposals and research designs.

Authorship Policy Details

Each INARELS project has a lead researchers or specified author. The lead researcher or author is typically the person who initiated the project, directs the research process, and therefore is the first author on the first publication from the project. The lead researcher or lead author:

• Delegates tasks to other collaborators and coauthors in concert with INARELS Director.
• Has the primary responsibility for developing, coordinating the revision, and submitting the first manuscript or for planning and executing non-scholarly dissemination.
• Is responsible for the primary data analysis.
• Presents annual progress report to INARELS and coauthors by a date specified by INARELS Director. These reports can be brief, but are important because they provide metadata for the project itself and allow the opportunity for evaluation of the project progression and review of author roles.
• Is responsible for developing dissemination plan for data within 2 years of availability. Data availability is determined by the timeline of research project, not actual date of isolated data collection. The 2-year deadline can be extended with permission of the research team, given extenuating circumstances.
• Negotiate or delegate to give lead author status to another author after first manuscript or output. Each project has a specified secondary author. This person has shared writing, analysis and delegation responsibilities as arranged with the lead researcher/author, and writes the paper and becomes lead author if the lead author cannot write by the deadline.

An individual can become a contributing researcher and/or coauthor by:

• Contributing to the design of a research project.
• Contributing to data collection and/or various aspects of data collection.
• Contributing preexisting data and/or metadata to the project.
• Contributing to data analysis.
• Reviewing all drafts.
• Undertaking at least one data analysis and/or manuscript preparation task delegated by lead (primary) and/or secondary researchers/authors.
• Remaining in regular communication with the lead researcher/author throughout the project.

Note that:

• Order of authorship will be determined by quality and amount (quantity) of contribution as agreed upon by the collaborative group.
• Students (or former students) will be considered for authorship if they meet the above guidelines for a contributing author and if their contribution was part of an independent project, rather than part of a course taken with an INARELS researcher. The INARELS faculty researcher who worked as the student’s mentor/supervisor must support the inclusion of the student or former student as an author.

Criteria for being acknowledged on the INARELS website or publication include:

• Contribution to data collection and/or management.
• Review of manuscripts prior to publication or organization of events.
• Provision of significant statistical, laboratory, or field assistance.
• Provision of any other support needed by the research team.

For transparency and effective communication within INARELS, a brief description of the paper or dissemination event (two or three sentences), the authorship policy for that manuscript or event, and contact information for the lead author(s) will be posted on the INARELS website.

INARELS Authorship Policy for Presentations and Posters

Authorship decisions on presentations/posters at meetings and conferences that include data from INARELS projects are at the discretion of the person preparing the presentation or poster; this author should consider whether the data presented represent the collective efforts of many people or are, for example, only the data from their own location. At minimum, we request presenters to cite the database from which the data are taken (see the project pages on the INARELS website for citation guidelines) and provide acknowledgment of the INARELS network. Moreover, please inform us by e-mail (INARELSresearch@dr.com) that the presentation occurred, so that we can report this outcome of INARELS in relevant funding reports.

Authorship Grievance Procedure for INARELS Projects

INARELS Founders believes that the lead researcher and author of a research project and/or manuscript should have the final say on authorship, in concert with the INARELS Director. INARELS expects all lead authors to be clear, ethical, transparent and timely in applying the authorship policy agreed upon by the members of their collaborative project. If there is a disagreement about authorship, the person with the complaint should discuss the issue with the lead author of the manuscript. If the disagreement is not resolved, the complaint can be brought to the INARELS Leadership Team (ILT) through the INARELS Director, who will try to facilitate further discussion and then make a written recommendation to the lead researchers and/or author and the person with the complaint. Members of the ILT who have a conflict of interest with the manuscript will recuse themselves from the discussion. The ILT may elect to bring in colleagues from outside the ILT or outside INARELS as appropriate to help resolve the authorship dispute.

These guidelines may be amended over time as deemed necessary by the INARELS Leadership Team.

Data Sharing Policy Details

• Citation of data is required – guidelines provided on the web page.
• Notification of INARELS Leadership Team (through the INARELS Director) is required to use data – guidelines provided on the web page.
• Data will become publicly available on a project by project basis determined by the lead researcher of each project, in consultation with all collaborators/authors.
• The full data set becomes immediately available for teaching purposes only with an electronic signature on a form stating that the data will be used for teaching purposes only.
• Web page registration is required.

Note: These guidelines may be amended over time as deemed necessary by the INARELS Leadership Team.