Acknowledgment and Authorship
The Rockefeller University
Acknowledgment and Authorship for Scientific Resource Centers and Staff Members
In accordance with University policy and accepted academic and research publication practice and ethics [1],[2],[3],[4], faculty members are asked to recognize the contributions of University Scientific Resource Centers in publications and presentations if the results reported relied — in whole or in part — on equipment, services, expertise and/or data generated at a Center.
Many of the Scientific Resource Centers provide access to instruments obtained through grants and/or gifts. As a term of most of these awards and gifts, resulting publications must include an acknowledgment of the use of the funded equipment. Identification of covered equipment and guidance on the wording for the acknowledgment sections of publications are available from the Scientific Resource Center Director. As appropriate, faculty are also encouraged to consider acknowledgment of specific Scientific Resource Center staff members.
Another important consideration during the process of manuscript preparation is methods reporting. Scientific Resource Center Directors can provide advice and assistance to ensure that reported methods accurately reflect the work conducted at or by the Scientific Resource Center.
In some instances, contributions made by Scientific Resource Center staff members may merit consideration for co-authorship. When these interactions by the Scientific Resource Center staff provide significant intellectual contribution to the design of the published experiments and/or substantial sustained contribution going beyond routine practices to the generation, analysis and/or interpretation of experimental data, co-authorship on resulting publications for the Scientific Resource Center staff may be appropriate. In such situations, the Scientific Resource Center Director should initiate a discussion with the laboratory principal investigator as early in the process as possible.
The responsibility for decisions regarding whether co-authorship and/or acknowledgment is appropriate resides with the principal investigator.
Appropriate acknowledgment of Scientific Resource Centers enables the University to demonstrate involvement of the Centers in the research of a large number of laboratories and aids the University in procurement of future equipment. Inclusion of Scientific Resource Center staff as authors and acknowledgment of Scientific Resource Center staff contributions, as appropriate, aid the University in recruiting and retaining the best possible scientific expertise and creates a more collegial and interactive research environment.
Publications that reference use of Scientific Resource Centers should be sent to the appropriate Director as a pdf copy, DOI or URL link.
[1] Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines)
[2] The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (http://www.abrf.org/index.cfm/page/resources/Authorship.htm)
[3] Council of Science Editors (http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3638)
[4] International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf)