Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26538155›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2016

Equal contributions and credit: an emerging trend in the characterization of authorship in major spine journals during a 10-year period.

Zhiwei Jia, Yaohong Wu, Yong Tang, Wei Ji, Wei Li, Xiyan Zhao, Hao Li, Qing He, Dike Ruan

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In one paragraph

Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Opinion: Authors overestimate their contribution to scientific work, demonstrating a strong bias.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2020
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Worldwide research productivity in the field of spine surgery: a 10-year bibliometric analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2016
    Article
  7. Authorship, credit, contribution and problems.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2016
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Zhiwei JiaDepartment of Orthopaedics, Navy General Hospital, NO. 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China.
Yaohong WuThe Third Clinical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yong TangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Navy General Hospital, NO. 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China.
Wei JiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Navy General Hospital, NO. 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China.
Wei LiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Navy General Hospital, NO. 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China.
Xiyan ZhaoGuang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Hao LiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Panyu Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Qing HeDepartment of Orthopaedics, Navy General Hospital, NO. 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China.
Dike RuanDepartment of Orthopaedics, Navy General Hospital, NO. 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China. ruandikengh@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe practice of giving certain authors equal credit in scientific publications has become increasingly common in some medical specialties. However, whether this trend also exists in major spine journals remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of the practice of giving authors equal credit in major spine journals.

methodsManual searches were performed to identify original research articles with equally credited authors (ECA) published between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2013 in three major spine journals: Spine, European Spine Journal, and The Spine Journal. The number of authors with ECA and their positions in the byline, total number of authors, year of publication, and country of origin were analysed.

resultsThe practice of ECA was found in all three journals. Articles with ECA comprised a greater proportion of the total number of publications in each journal in 2013 versus 2004 (Spine, 7.2 vs. 0.2%; European Spine Journal, 7.5 vs. 0.0%; and The Spine Journal, 6.2 vs. 0.0%). There was a statistically significant increasing trend in the annual proportion of papers with ECA for all three spine journals (p < 0.0001). The practice of ECA was applied in nearly every position in the byline, and the first two authors received equal credit in most cases. Articles with ECA were published by authors from various countries and regions around the world. However, none of the three spine journals provided specific guidance on this practice in their author instructions.

conclusionsThe practice of ECA in original research articles is increasingly common in major spine journals. A guideline for authors regarding when and how to designate equal credit is warranted in the future.

Indexed as

AuthorshipHumansOrthopedicsPeriodicals as TopicPublishingSpineAuthorshipEqual contributionsPublicationsSpine

Identifiers

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.