Honorary Authorship in Radiologic Research Articles: Assessment of Frequency and Associated Factors
Abstract
The perception of honorary authorship (overall, 26.0%) and reports of at least one author performing only “nonauthor” tasks (overall, 58.9%) according to standard criteria in our study were much more frequent among respondents of lower academic rank, likely reflecting fewer years of professional experience and a lower number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals, and among those respondents working in an environment in which their section or department head was automatically listed as an author.
Purpose
To quantify the frequency of perceived honorary authorship in radiologic journals and to identify specific factors that increase its prevalence.
Materials and Methods
This study qualified for exempt status by the institutional review board. An electronic survey was sent to first authors of all original research articles published in Radiology and European Radiology over 3 years. Questions included guidelines used for determining authorship, contributions of coauthors, the perception of honorary authorship, and demographic information. Univariable analysis of sample proportions was performed by using χ2 tests. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the independent factors that were associated with the probability of perceiving honorary authorship.
Results
Of the 392 (29.3%) of 1338 first authors who responded to the survey, 102 (26.0%) perceived that one or more coauthors did not make sufficient contributions to merit being included as an author. Of the 392 respondents, 231 (58.9%) stated that one or more coauthors performed only “nonauthor” tasks according to International Committee of Medical Journal Editors criteria. Factors associated with an increased first-author perception of honorary authorship included lower academic rank (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.66, 5.06), as well as working in an environment in which the section or department head was automatically listed as an author (adjusted OR: 3.80; 95% CI: 2.13, 6.79). The percentage of honorary authorship was significantly higher (P = .019) among respondents who did not follow journal requirements for authorship.
Conclusion
The rate of perceived honorary authorship (overall, 26.0%) was substantially more frequent among respondents of lower academic rank and in those working in an environment in which their section or department head was automatically listed as an author.
© RSNA, 2011
Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11101500/-/DC1
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Article History
Received July 27, 2010; revision requested August 19; revision received November 5; accepted December 10; final version accepted December 28.Published online: May 2011
Published in print: May 2011
