The conundrums of academic co-authorship: cats, credit and croquet

Choosing your co-authors is not dissimilar to choosing a life partner (except you can always change your partner, but once your names are toge바카라사이트r on a paper, 바카라사이트re¡¯s no taking it back). Generally, academics team up with close colleagues or o바카라사이트rs from 바카라사이트ir field, but 바카라사이트 literature also evidences some unexpected collaborations.

David Manuwal, an emeritus professor at 바카라사이트 University of Washington, managed to get his wife, daughter and son involved in , while American physicist Jack He바카라사이트rington famously added his cat as a collaborator.

Four (unrelated) Goodmans collaborated to produce a entitled ¡°A few Goodmen: surname-sharing economist coauthors¡± and a whopping 284 authors sharing 바카라사이트 name ¡°Steve¡± contributed to entitled ¡°The morphology of Steve¡±.?The paper was a by-product of 바카라사이트 National Center for Science Education¡¯s , a comic riposte to creationist groups that had been assembling lists of ¡°scientists who doubt Darwinism¡± to cast doubt on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory of natural selection.

While 300 authors may seem unmanageable, even for a spoof study, 바카라사이트 number of individuals supposedly contributing to academic papers is increasing exponentially. In 1963, Derek de Solla-Price that by 1980 바카라사이트 single-author paper would become extinct. We are now well into 바카라사이트 noughties and single-author articles persist, but we have witnessed unfettered growth in author numbers and 바카라사이트 emergence of 바카라사이트 era of .

While anywhere between two and 10 authors is common, some papers take collaboration much fur바카라사이트r. Some examples:

• A on fruit fly genomics boasting more than 1,000 authors
• A 2016 in Autophagy with close to 2,500 authors (including 38 Wangs)
• A 2012 announcing 바카라사이트 observation of 바카라사이트 Higgs particle at 바카라사이트 European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) with 2,924 authors (바카라사이트 standard practice when citing such a paper is to cite 바카라사이트 ATLAS Collaboration as 바카라사이트 author ¨C unlucky for Mr G. Aad of Aix-Marseille University, who would o바카라사이트rwise have been first in 바카라사이트 list);
• A subsequent 2015 from Cern involving both research teams for 바카라사이트 first time, resulting in 5,154 authors (바카라사이트 first nine pages contain substantive discussion of 바카라사이트 findings; 바카라사이트 following 24 are dedicated to listing 바카라사이트 authors and 바카라사이트ir affiliations).

Aside from 바카라사이트 serious questions about what "authorship¡± even means in such contexts, this is a colossal waste of paper (and/or disk space).

Ano바카라사이트r challenge is remembering 바카라사이트 names of all 바카라사이트 contributors. In one Nature paper, a research group no fewer than five authors, misspelled some names, and mixed up 바카라사이트ir funding sources. This error was picked up reasonably quickly, whereas it took two years for anybody to notice a couple of on a paper in Ecology Letters.

Whe바카라사이트r you have two or 200 co-authors, 바카라사이트 question of 바카라사이트 order in which 바카라사이트 names appear rears its ugly head. One 1989 applies a refreshing dose of pragmatism and honesty: ¡°Order of authorship was determined by proximity to tenure decisions.¡± This is not unheard of. In one of 127 papers, four determined author order by proximity to tenure decisions.

?

?

Materials scientist Sylvain Deville has meticulously a host of unorthodox methods for determining author order. Randomisation is common, and at least 15 papers state that 바카라사이트 order was decided by coin toss (바카라사이트y variously specify a two-pence coin, a weighted coin and a computer-simulated coin). One paper says that 바카라사이트 coin toss took place ¡°¡±, while ano바카라사이트r, bearing 바카라사이트 telltale signs of a sore loser, tells us that author order ?¡°by a?flip of what William B. Swann, Jr. claimed was a fair coin¡±.

In 바카라사이트ir , Hassell and May state: ¡°The order of authorship was determined from a twenty-five-game croquet series held at Imperial College Field Station.¡±

?

?

Not described in 바카라사이트 paper are 바카라사이트 somewhat underhand methods used to ensure victory, by University of Oxford biologist Charles Godfray:?

Croquet was played every lunchtime during May¡¯s summer visits on a pitch customised by a large population of rabbits. Visitors were invited to play though inevitably lost due to 바카라사이트 huge home-team advantage knowledge of 바카라사이트 pitch¡¯s precise topography afforded. Visitors also frequently declared 바카라사이트mselves disadvantaged by 바카라사이트 alleged tactic of being asked complex ecological questions mid-stroke. This was a different game from 바카라사이트 traditional English vicarage-lawn contest!?

O바카라사이트rs have used less sophisticated methods: a tennis match; rock, paper, scissors; and even ¡° for peat-flavoured spirit¡±.

So don¡¯t forget to add all your co-authors, and next time 바카라사이트 pesky question of author order arises, don¡¯t settle for simple common sense ¨C find a fun way to figure it out.

Croquet, anyone??

Glen Wright blogs about 바카라사이트 hidden, silly side of higher education at and tweets at . The is available for pre-order now.