A Systematic Review of Research on the Meaning, Ethics and Practices of Authorship across Scholarly Disciplines
2011

A Systematic Review of Research on Authorship Issues

Sample size: 123 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Marušić Ana, Bošnjak Lana, Jerončić Ana

Primary Institution: University of Split School of Medicine

Hypothesis

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate evidence about authorship issues and provide synthesis of research on authorship across all research fields.

Conclusion

High prevalence of authorship problems may have severe impact on the integrity of the research process.

Supporting Evidence

  • 29% of researchers reported experiencing authorship misuse.
  • Authorship problems were reported more frequently outside the USA and UK.
  • Most studies were observational with heterogeneous measurements.

Takeaway

This study looked at how authorship is defined and practiced in research, finding that many researchers face problems with authorship credit.

Methodology

The review included empirical quantitative or qualitative research articles from various scholarly fields on authorship.

Potential Biases

The review noted potential biases in self-reported experiences of authorship issues.

Limitations

Many studies had methodological limitations, including lack of detail in reporting and a predominance of survey designs.

Participant Demographics

The studies included a diverse range of researchers from various fields, primarily in health and social sciences.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Confidence Interval

95% CI 24% to 35%

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0023477

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