The University is committed to maintaining the highest standard of integrity in research, as outlined in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the Research Code of Conduct Policy.
Authorship must only recognise a significant intellectual or scholarly contribution to a Research Output. For a person to claim, demand, or accept authorship without having made a significant intellectual or scholarly contribution is a breach of the Research Code.
An author is responsible for the integrity and accurate reporting of at least their significant intellectual or scholarly contribution to the research.
The University considers that authorship:
- must be an honest reflection of contribution to research
- should be assigned fairly and consistently
- should be communicated clearly and transparently between contributors to the research
- should be approached with a generosity of spirit while remaining true to the policy requirements
- should acknowledge contributions appropriately.
A research worker who qualifies as an author must not be included or excluded for authorship without written agreement as described in the Authorship Procedure.
Record of authorship
Research workers have a responsibility to discuss authorship between potential co-authors and contributors to Research Outputs at the beginning of the research and as soon as collaborative circumstances or the research changes.
A record of authorship agreement is to include, but is not limited to:
- anticipated title of the scholarly work
- outlet (e.g. journal name, publisher, conference or other medium)
- anticipated date of submission to the outlet
- name and order or authors, author role and contribution to the overall Research Output.
Research workers are encouraged to use the Authorship agreement (DOC 75KB) and retain a copy for their own record. The record of authorship agreement may also be informally captured through email or letters.
Policy and procedure
UniSQ has developed an Authorship Procedure that align with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (and Authorship guide).