SEISMIC Authorship Rules

SEISMIC is a collaboration of researchers and practitioners intent on producing equitable and inclusive STEM classrooms. This collaborative effort involves reporting on progress in both formal and informal ways. Since SEISMIC is a collection of individuals from widely different disciplines and backgrounds, it is necessary to establish general SEISMIC authorship rules to ensure fair and equitable practices with respect to publications and presentations of SEISMIC work. This document details how individuals qualify to become co-authors, first authors, and last authors. Any questions about these rules should be directed to the SEISMIC Collaboration Council (seismic.cc@umich.edu).

These authorship rules apply to SEISMIC-related products, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conference presentations and proceedings (talks, posters, papers, or other formats)
• Journal articles and other published written materials

If you would like to propose a new SEISMIC-related product, please fill out this form. SEISMIC Central will review the submission to make sure the idea has not previously been submitted by another individual. If there is uncertainty around the originality of the idea, SEISMIC Central will share details with the Collaboration Council for final approval. Once approved, the product idea will be added to the SEISMIC Project OSF page “Authors for SEISMIC-Related Products” and authorship discussions for the product can begin. Note this page is only viewable for SEISMIC members on OSF. If you believe you should have access, please email seismic.admin@umich.edu.

We recognize SEISMIC members will likely be invited to speak at various events that may or may not be fully connected to SEISMIC. We expect that for presentations involving SEISMIC work, presenters will acknowledge the SEISMIC collaboration and specific collaborators.

Many procedures in this document were taken from the authorship procedures of the EDU-STEM network, and inspired by the authorship procedures of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and resources from scholarship by Dr. Kendra Cheruvelil.

To be listed as a co-author for a SEISMIC-related product, the individual must do all three of the following:

1. Read the product 
2. Provide comments or suggestions for changes OR give approval to the team if they have no comments or suggestions 
3. Meet 2 of the 7 criteria listed below

If an individual believes they qualify as a co-author, they should add their name under the relevant project in the SEISMIC Project OSF page “Authors for SEISMIC-Related Products.” They should also list how they fulfill the co-authorship criteria. Co-authors will be listed in alphabetical order on the product, after the first author and before the last author.

First authorship for a SEISMIC-related product will be determined by the authors listed in the SEISMIC Project OSF page “Authors for SEISMIC-Related Products.” We recognize decisions on the first author(s) may need to happen later in the process as individuals establish how much they can work on the project. Once the project team identifies the first author(s), they should add this information to the SEISMIC Project OSF page “Authors for SEISMIC-Related Products.” First authors must meet the eligibility criteria for co-authors and contribute significantly to the generation of the product. If progress on the SEISMIC-related product is not made in 6 months, the list of authors may open up the discussion again on first authorship.

To be listed as last author for a SEISMIC-related product, the individual must meet the eligibility criteria for co-authors and fulfill at least one of the following:

1. Be the principal lead of the project (this person may have, for example, acquired additional funding to support the project, or may have initially conceived of the project and assembled the project team)
2. Be the faculty advisor for the first author if the first author is a student or staff member

If an individual believes they qualify as the last author, they should add their name under the relevant project in the SEISMIC Project OSF page “Authors for SEISMIC-Related Products.” They should also list how they fulfill the last author criteria.