Attribution and credit bias in publication ethics

ABSTRACT

In this article, I argue that many of the ethical problems associated with the authorship of journal literature can usefully be clarified if authorship is placed within the broader concept of attribution, which extends beyond the author byline to encompass everything that readers are told about the work’s origination and the parties responsible. I also suggest that as the attribution of literature has grown more complex, and the opportunities for misattribution have become more subtle and multifarious, attribution has become increasingly vulnerable to systematic bias. Accordingly, I define “credit bias” as the systematic distortion of attribution, frequently in the interests of those with influence over the publication. I present a four-step framework for evaluating publications, discuss misattribution in drug industry literature as an illustration of credit bias, and examine the role of editorial standards in mitigating, but also in assisting, credit bias. I also argue for an independent scientific standard to promote ethical conduct in the medical journal sector.