In order to develop innovative approaches and solutions, scientists are increasingly resorting to scientific co-authorship. This is an effective format of work that has a number of advantages for both researchers and science in general. However, it is important to remember that any scientific activity has its own rules that must be followed. Today we will explain how to make a co-authored publication in Web of Science and avoid violations.
Scientific co-authorship: what is it?
Scientific co-authorship – is a format of scientific activity that involves several researchers working together to conduct research. Accordingly, such cooperation may result in the implementation of a joint project, the creation of innovative developments, and a joint publication in a reputable journal.
Co-authorship implies an even distribution of responsibilities between scientists, which optimises work and helps to achieve significant results. There are two types of scientific co-authorship: separate and indivisible.
Scientists who work in the format of separate co-authorship are responsible only for the part of the scientific work on which they worked. Accordingly, they reserve the right to withdraw it from the general publication and use it separately, if necessary.
In contrast, undivided co-authorship has the opposite conditions: a scientific work written by a group of scientists is one integral product, and all participants are responsible for the results presented, but it is not possible to use its individual parts.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of scientific co-authorship and its specifics, read our article on this topic.
Requirements for co-authored publications in Web of Science
As a reputable database, Web of Science has a number of strict requirements that articles must meet in order to be accepted for publication, including:
1. Allowable number of authors
It is worth noting that the number of authors can vary from two to several dozen. However, too large a group of scientists may negatively affect the decision of the reviewers, and the article may simply not be accepted for consideration.
In addition, finding a publication with such a group of authors is quite problematic for the Web of Science search engine. That is why it is recommended to limit the number of authors to five, which is optimal for effective peer review.
2. Scientific contribution
One of the key requirements for co-authored publications in Web of Science is that each author must make a significant intellectual contribution to the research. This may include developing the concept and research plan, collecting or analysing data, interpreting the results, writing individual chapters, editing and formatting the scientific article. This is necessary to ensure that the inclusion of each of the researchers in the list of co-authors is justified.
3. Scientific ethics
Adherence to the principles of scientific ethics is a prerequisite for co-authored publication.
The main principles of scientific ethics are:
- truthful presentation of data;
- research results and conclusions;
- absence of plagiarism and self-plagiarism;
- clear indication of the contribution of each author.
4. Distribution of roles
Web of Science-indexed journals require researchers to describe in detail the contribution of each co-author to increase transparency and ensure proper attribution. This allows for a clear record of who is responsible for what in a study and prevents possible conflicts or misunderstandings about roles.
The CRediT system provides the ability to describe the specific contribution of each participant through specialised categories such as methodology, data analysis, writing, or visualisation of results.
5. Compliance with WoS standards
In order to publish a co-authored article in a scientific journal, authors must ensure that their work contains all the necessary information about them. We are talking about the correct indication of the affiliation of the researchers (surname and name of the author, information about the organisation where he or she works, faculty, department, city, postal code and country) and registration of authors in ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID).
Also, one of the WoS standards is to write an article according to the IMRAD structure. We recommend you to read our article, in which we describe in detail the features of the IMRAD structure.
Compliance with these requirements will help ensure high chances of successful publication of research in leading scientific journals. In order to minimise possible mistakes, it is necessary to check in advance whether the research paper meets all the above aspects.
Do you want to get qualified assistance in publishing a co-authored article in Web of Science? Contact "Scientific Publications"! Our specialists will check your article for errors, help you choose a scientific journal, and accompany you at all stages of work, including the post-publication period. To get a free consultation, please fill out the form below, and our manager will contact you shortly. Together to new scientific achievements!
