Faculty-student differences in authorship perceptions before and after authorship ethics interventions.

Abstract

Authorship practices in collaborative research teams are often complex and influence perceptions surrounding fairness, responsibility, and accountability in scholarly work. This study investigates prevailing authorship norms, the frequency of authorship disagreements, and differences in authorship perceptions across faculty and student roles, genders, and disciplinary contexts. Survey results reveal systematic differences, particularly between faculty and students, in how authorship distribution is perceived and how different types of researcher contributions are valued toward authorship credit. We further assess changes in authorship norms and ethical perceptions through a follow-up survey after a three-year effort to improve authorship ethics on our campus, which included training on ethical authorship practices and adoption of a formal institutional authorship policy. The results show notable shifts in researchers' awareness, expectations, and attitudes toward authorship ethics and responsibilities. This suggests proactive education and policymaking can promote integrity in collaborative scholarly work and recalibrate local norms. Based on these insights, we offer recommendations for supporting transparent authorship communication and fostering more ethical research environments.