Q: What is the best way to mention my contributions to a publication other than "co-author" or "contributor"?
I did major work on a manunscript over nine months, making the manuscript significantly more detailed and complete than when I started. The author does not want to list me as co-author, but did try using 'with John Smith' and 'Contributions by John Smith.' But the publishing company insists that I should either be listed as a co-author on the cover or my name should not be included at all except for a 'Thanks to John Smith' in the acknowledgement page. Is there any other way of expressing my contribution on the cover in this situation? I am in quandary. Please help.
To begin with, it would help for you to understand why the lead author does not wish to list you as a co-author on the cover. There are two possibilities:
- He/She does not consider your contributions significant enough for you to be considered a co-author.
- They do not want to share credit with anyone else for the paper. (From what you say, it seems there were only two people who contributed to the paper.)
In case of the first scenario, you may refer to the ICMJE guidelines for authorship criteria, in case you haven’t already. If you believe your contribution fulfills all the four criteria, you may discuss this with him/her. From what you have mentioned, you seem to have contributed significantly. However, I also understand that an oversight seems to be that the two of you didn’t have an agreement on the authorship before starting work on the paper or before submitting to the journal (which is also what has led to the dispute). If your contribution meets the criteria and the lead author seems reasonable, they may see your point and decide to give you the credit.
In case of the second scenario, there may not be much you can do, especially if you haven’t agreed on authorship before the work and submission. It may also be an ego issue for the person to share credit, and further argument on this is likely to become acrimonious. In this situation, you may decide what outcome you are okay with based on considerations such as how much this contribution means to your resume, how significant it is at the stage of career you are in, and the need for further association or collaboration with the lead author in the future. In the worst case, you may have to be content with being credited only in the acknowledgement section. At the most, you can maybe insist on a more detailed description of your contribution in the acknowledgement section. Going forward though, to reiterate, it would be best to discuss the authorship before starting work on any paper.
All the best for an amicable resolution.
Related reading:
This content belongs to the Conducting Research Stage