# Transparent Attribution of Contributions to Research: Aligning Guidelines to Real-Life Practices
## 4 The Contributor Roles Taxonomy: Promises and Pitfalls
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Status** & **Term** & **Definition** \\ \hline \hline \multicolumn{3}{c}{_Selected CRediT taxa_} \\ \hline Current & Investigation & \begin{tabular}{c} Conducting a research and investigation process, specifically \\ performing the experiments or data/evidence collection \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Current & Writing—Original Draft & \begin{tabular}{c} Preparation, creation and/or presentation of the published work, \\ specifically writing the initial draft (including substantive translation) \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Current & Writing—Review \& Editing & \begin{tabular}{c} Preparation, creation and/or presentation of the published work by \\ those from the original research group, specifically critical review, \\ commentary or revision—including pre- or post-publication stages \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline \hline \multicolumn{3}{c}{_Proposed revisions and additions_} \\ \hline Revised & Investigation & \begin{tabular}{c} Conducting a research and investigation process, specifically \\ performing the experiments or data/evidence collection, as an author \\ named in the byline \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline New & Technical support & \begin{tabular}{c} Experimental procedures, laboratory management, animal husbandry, \\ instrumental expertise, statistical support, clinical support, graphic \\ work, and other skilled activities done as a non-author named in the \\ acknowledgments \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Revised & Drafting the manuscript * & Writing a preliminary version of the manuscript, by an author named in \\ \hline Revised & \begin{tabular}{c} Critical review and approval of \\ the manuscript, as author § \\ \end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}{c} Critical review with commenting or revising the manuscript, and \\ approval of the version submitted for peer review and accepted for \\ publication, by an author named in the byline \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline New & \
\begin{tabular}{c} Translating or editing the \\ manuscript, as non-author \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} Translation or editing of the authors’ manuscript, by a non-author \\ translator or editor named in the acknowledgments \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* Replaces “Writing—Original Draft”; § Replaces “Writing—Review \& Editing”.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Three taxa of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy [6] that marginalize non-author contributors, and suggestions for improvement. initial draft. In our experience, professional translators do not describe their work as \"substantive\" because that would suggest that \"unsubstantive\" translation is also an option; even for apparently simple texts, good translation requires high-level language, writing and editing skills together with an understanding of the purpose of the material and its intended readership. The other problematic taxon is \"Writing--review and editing\". The wording used to identify this task is potentially confusing for two reasons. The term \"review\" is often assumed to refer to peer review--an activity coordinated by journals with external experts, not carried out by the authors themselves. The term \"editing\", in research publishing, is often used for work done by authors' editors (before acceptance of a manuscript) and journals' copy editors (after acceptance). CRediT, once again, limits the attribution of both these roles to authors, as is made clear in the definition: \"Preparation, creation and/or presentation of the published work _by those from the original research group_, specifically critical review, commentary or revision--_including pre- or post-publication stages_\" (emphasis added). It is unclear to us how authors could realistically claim credit for revision or editing in the post-publication stage, since publication usually signals the end of the authors' work on an article. Few research publication venues today allow authors to modify an article once it has been published, unless a correction or erratum notice is needed, or a new version of record is issued.