Ethical Minefields for Early-Career Academics: Co-authorship

Following our successful launch seminar, please join us for our next event on research ethics for Early-Career Academics (ECAs) in CAHSS. This event is under the umbrella of the Ethical Pressures of Thinking Network, and ECAs from all disciplines in CAHSS are welcome.

This event will build on our previous starting point, whereby ethical concerns are negotiated daily in our research and that ECAs face particular challenges, pressures and vulnerabilities. We provide a safe space for ECAs to share their experiences and knowledge in a non-hierarchical way. The second session will be a similarly protected and collaborative conversation on the ethics of co-authorship.

While some disciplines lend themselves to co-authorship more than others, sooner or later ECAs will navigate the opportunities and challenges that co-authorship brings. Ethical co-authorship demands that those who have made a ‘significant contribution’ to an article are correctly attributed, but also those who have not so contributed are not named. Naming conventions vary considerably.

Recently, pressures towards the ethical co-design of research have signalled a commensurate expansion of co-authorship. This requires reflection on the forms a significant contribution can take, as well protecting space for such to take place. At the same time, ECAs can find their original work subject to co-authorship pressures that may be advantageous but sometimes unfair or unethical.

Getting the balance right is easier said than done. ECAs must acknowledge the efforts of those who contribute to their work and may not be acknowledged under current conventions (‘ghost’ contributors), while navigate pressures from senior academics (e.g., ‘honorary’ contributors). Either way, ethical co-authorship, as co-production, takes a considerable time and material investment.

Join us to have your say.

In-person attendance is preferred. However, to make the event accessible to colleagues with childcare and other caring duties, health conditions etc, participants will be able to participate in person and through Microsoft Teams. We will circulate the Teams link the day before the meeting.

Host or Publisher Kathy Dodworth & Ann Zuntz