Misconduct and Misbehavior Related to Authorship Disagreements in Collaborative Science

Area of Science:

• Research integrity
• Scientific collaboration
• Academic publishing

Background:

• Authorship in scientific research acknowledges significant contributions.
• Discrepancies in authorship norms across disciplines, labs, and cultures are common.
• Authorship disagreements frequently arise in collaborative research settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of authorship disagreements in research.
• To identify factors contributing to authorship disputes.
• To assess the extent and nature of misbehavior resulting from these disagreements.

Main Methods:

• An international online survey was conducted among researchers who published between 2011 and 2015.
• Data were collected from 8364 researchers, with 6673 completing relevant questions.
• Statistical analysis examined the effects of discipline, rank, and gender on disagreement rates.

Main Results:

• Almost half (46.6%) of respondents reported authorship naming disagreements.
• Discipline, rank, and gender significantly influenced disagreement rates.
• Researchers in multidisciplinary teams reported fewer authorship disagreements.
• Observed misbehavior included hostility, undermining work, research shortcuts, sabotage, and fraud.

Conclusions:

• Authorship disputes can foster unhealthy competition, negatively affecting researcher well-being and team cohesion.
• Addressing authorship norms is crucial for maintaining scientific integrity.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration may mitigate authorship conflicts.