From honorary authorship to AI-assisted writing: two challenges to genuine scientific contribution

The integrity of scientific authorship has long been challenged by practices that obscure the true intellectual contribution behind published research. As early as 1983, Moulopoulos et al., writing in the British Medical Journal, highlighted the problem of honorary authorship and advocated for explicit disclosure of individual contributions in multi-author papers. Despite such early warnings, the expansion of collaborative research fostered the persistence of "cosmetic" authorship-listing individuals as authors despite minimal or absent contributions. In recent years, a new challenge has emerged: the use of large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools in preparing scientific manuscripts. While these technologies may enhance efficiency and clarity, their unreported or excessive use risks further blurring the boundaries of genuine scholarly contribution. This commentary examines honorary authorship and AI-assisted writing as successive manifestations of the same underlying problem: the dilution and misrepresentation of authentic scientific credit. Recognizing the continuity between these phenomena is essential for preserving transparency, accountability, and trust in scientific publishing.