Equity, Accountability, Transparency: Implementation of the Contributorship Concept in a Multi-site Study

Abstract

The recent explosion in the conduct of multi-site and multinational research has created complexities in the assignment of authorship that challenge investigators who publish the results of their research. The practice of using “guest” and “ghost” authors is common. These issues of complexity and inequity received international attention in 1997 when, in order to ensure equity, accountability, and transparency of authorship, the concept of assigning contributors and guarantors was first proposed by Rennie and colleagues.1 The concept has since been embraced by leading medical journals. Because of expanding opportunities within the profession of pharmacy, issues of authorship will become commonplace. Yet many pharmacists receive no formal education about issues inherent in this aspect of the publication process. From 1998–2000, the Department of Pharmacy at our institution conducted a multi-site randomized trial. The primary investigators were committed to ensuring that all investigators were appropriately...