[The "good author"]

This article examines the notion of the "good author" within systems of scientific evaluation, defining it through observable practices: the relevance of research questions, methodological adequacy, and transparency throughout the manuscript-writing process. It emphasizes accountability in collaboration, properly justified authorship-free of honorary practices-and editorial and regulatory integrity. In addition, by analogy with journal indexing, it proposes an "index of responsible authorship" grounded in verifiable indicators and multidimensional profiles, rather than in prestige or impact. It concludes by underscoring the tension between authorship as social accountability and authorship as evaluative performance, arguing that the central challenge is cultural and institutional.