Will the real authors please identify themselves?

摘要

Now that I am in my third year as editor-in-chief of the AJO-DO, 1 have noticed a disturbing trend. Increasing numbers of manuscripts submitted for peer review and possible publication in the Journal have greater than 5 or 6 authors. In fact, we received a submission this past year with 15 authors. Did each of those 15 authors play a significant role in the research, analysis, or writing of the manuscript? Probably not. Why were they included? To gain recognition. Is this appropriate? Certainly not. What should the AJO-DO do to ensure that those listed as authors actually contributed significantly to the project? Let me explain our future approach to this dilemma.