Robert H. Scott III, Ph.D., professor in the department of Economics, Finance, and Real Estate, was recently published by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for his article, “Ensuring Ethics and Integrity in Co-Authorship.”
Scott’s article discusses why it’s important for business schools to encourage their faculty to embrace and promote established guidelines for co-authored scholarship. He reasons that the increased reliance on peer-reviewed journal articles for career progression can lead to unethical research practices, and implementing stricter guidelines can help faculty maintain integrity through the process of co-authorship.
One example of these guidelines is the criteria for co-authorship set forth by the International Council of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which requires its co-authors to: “1) make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work, 2) draft the work or revise it critically for important intellectual content, 3) give final approval of the version to be published, and 4) agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and ensure that any questions related to the work’s accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.”
Ultimately, Scott concludes that “when collaborating scholars set out clear agreements, contribute equally to the effort, communicate transparently, and remain accountable for their work, they can ensure that co-authorship remains an ethical and productive endeavor for their institutions, and for academia as a whole.”
Scott has published two books with Palgrave, 23 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 30 additional scholarly artifacts. He was recently named the Arthur and Dorothy Greenbaum/Robert Ferguson/NJAR Endowed Chair in Real Estate Policy at Monmouth University.