Research Integrity Spotlight

Authorship - What? Why? How?

Authorship involves recognising those who haveÌýmade significant contributions to a piece ofÌýresearch. Part of the authorship process involvesÌýdetermining whether the people whoÌýcontributed to the research meet the criteria forÌýauthorship (or perhaps, an acknowledgement).


It is important to ensure that people who meetÌýthe minimum criteria are included as an author,Ìýjust as much as those who do not meet theÌýcriteria are not included. Aside from being the
right thing to do, ensuring correct authorshipÌýhelps to maintain the integrity, transparency,Ìýand high standards of research that we all knowÌýand love.

Rohan ATTA system

To be considered an author at the University ofÌýÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ, you must have made a significantÌýscholarly intellectual contribution to theÌýresearch based on at least two of the followingÌýfive criteria:

  • Conception (or the design of the project)
  • Acquiring data (when it requires significantÌýintellectual judgement/input)
  • Knowledge (including IndigenousÌýknowledge)
  • Analysis (and/or interpretation of data)
  • Drafting (or revision of significant parts ofÌýthe research output)

If you’re so inclined, the Authorship Policy canÌýbe found here.

  • Gift Authorship

    Gift authorship, ghost authorship, guest authorship, or honorary authorship (however you want to refer to it) may sound like a good thing, but it goes against the principles of authorship, is dishonest, and could lead to a breach of policy. In other words, it’s not great. But what is it?

    Authorship should not be offered purely because someone:

    • holds a position of authority
    • facilitated acquiring funding/resources/materials
    • provided routine tech support/advice but no other input to the research project

  • Authorship Declaration

    University policy states that anyone who qualifies as an author must be included or excluded with their written consent. Although there is no stipulation of how that record should be kept, it is serendipitous that the University has their very own

    Although it’s not mandatory to use this particular form, it easily highlights the contributions of each author, automatically sends confirmation emails to all parties, and keeps a simple record that is stored on the University servers (meaning, you can’t lose it!). Everybody wins.

Any queries about this Spotlight can be directed to Research Integrity (researchintegrity@adelaide.edu.au)Ìý

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Responsible research is encouraged and guided by the research culture of the University of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ.

This ranges from general research practices, managing and storing data, ensuring all research is ethical while understanding principles of intellectual property, and authorship. Detailed information on responsible research can be found in the Research Student Handbook. The following link will connect you to resources to ensure that you will need during your time as a research student.

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