Calculating coauthors' contributions
Authors: Jon F Merz, Gregg E Gorton, Mildred K Cho, Marcie LH Merz, Pamela Sankar
Journal: The Lancet (1997)

We have developed a system for promoting coauthors' thoughtful and timely contributions to a manuscript-in-progress. The coauthor incentive system (CIS) recognises the first author's seminal efforts to write a complete draft or a substantial section of a manuscript and distribute it to those who initially agree to be coauthors. The CIS is a fee schedule for substantive and editorial comments made by other coauthors to the first and subsequent drafts (table). Alternative values may be negotiated.TableSchedule of fees for the co-authorship incentive systemComment/changeBasic fee ($US)Multipliers (x basic fee)Time (weeks)Subsequent drafts1…t2…NInitial credit (per text page)(10)10 (t>1)0·5 1NIllegible writing (per scribble)0·251111Moved text (per move)0·501t1·5 (N+1)2Additions (per word)112t2NDeletions (per word)212t2NGeneral comments (per comment)2013t42N Open table in a new tab We grant to each potential coauthor an initial draft credit of $US10 per double-spaced page, against which fees are accumulated. The credit is only good against fees incurred in the first week after distribution, and the credit decreases on subsequent drafts to promote earlier commentary. The CIS rewards neatness and legibility as measured by the reasonable-secretary standard; punishes delay with graduated fees charged as more time passes and for subsequent drafts; discriminates against deletions of text in favour of additions; and punishes general comments in favour of specific textual or analytical changes. This system facilitates decreasing marginal commentary and revisions with time, which ensures rapid convergence and closure. There is neither charge nor credit for corrections of typographical or grammatical errors. The CIS also provides a measure of the relative contribution of coauthors, and can be used for assigning coauthorship position, as we have done here. The CIS fees accumulated and partly or fully offset by available credits are a direct measure of the time, thought, and effort expended by each coauthor relative to that of the first author. Thus, we estimate each coauthor's contribution to the writing of the manuscript (but not necessarily to the underlying research effort) by looking at the fees accumulated throughout the editing process in making substantive comments (but not editorial matters) and standardise by the total credits available, yielding a CIS Index (CISI): CISI=∑d=1N∑t=1∞Atd•AFtd+Dtd•DFtd+GCtd•GCFtd∑d=1N|ICd| We recommend that journals publish the details of the CIS used on a particular manuscript, as well as the CISI achieved by each contributor. This practice would enable readers to make proper attributions. For example, if a paper is an abomination and the coauthors have low CISI scores, then it will be obvious that the first author is responsible. Higher CISI scores indicate greater shared responsibility and lower scores indicate greater deniability. Further, contributors may track their CISI scores. An accumulated CISI (ACISI) may be useful for departments and universities in making hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. First authors could be assessed by the average CISI of all coauthors, providing a measure of how much effort was expended by the co-authors in whipping the manuscript (and the first author) into shape. Use of the CIS may enhance the likelihood that co-authorship will retain an aura of legitimacy in an era of increasing financial and academic burden. CISIj is the CIS Index for the jth coauthor; d is the number of the draft version in which comments or changes are suggested, and N is the submission version; t is the time in weeks in which a comment is made after distribution of a draft; Atd is the number of words added in time t and draft d; AFtd is the fee for added words; Dtd is the number of words deleted; DFtd is the fee for deleted words; GCtd is the number of general comments offered; GCFtd is the fee for general comments; and ICd is the initial credit offered for the Ah draft.