Credit where credit is due? The impact of project contributions and social factors on authorship and inventorship

Carolin Haeussler and Henry Sauermann
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Carolin Häussler

Research Policy, 2013, vol. 42, issue 3, 688-703

Abstract: We examine the extent to which different types of substantive project contributions as well as social factors predict whether a scientist is named as author on a paper and inventor on a patent resulting from the same project. Using unique survey data from over 2000 life scientists, we find that the predictors of authorship differ from those of inventorship. A wider range of project contributions may result in authorship, and social factors appear to play a larger role in authorship decisions than in inventorship decisions. We also find evidence that project contributions and social factors interact in predicting authorship, suggesting that the two sets of factors should be considered jointly rather than seen as independent determinants of attribution. In addition to providing novel insights into the functioning of the authorship and inventorship system, our results have important implications for administrators, managers, and policy makers, as well as for innovation scholars who often rely on patents and publications as measures of scientists’ performance.

Keywords: Guest authorship; Ghost authorship; Attribution; Social status; Project contributions; Patent–paper-pairs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L30 O31 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:respol:v:42:y:2013:i:3:p:688-703

DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2012.09.009

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