BBEL Authorship Guideline

BBEL Authorship Guideline

(updated 2/16/08)

The Bioprocessing and Bioproduct Engineering Research Group encourages collaborations and co-authorship among the group members. This document is intended to provide a guideline for authorship of manuscripts submitted for publication and patents applied for by anyone working under Dr. Shulin Chen within the Washington State University, Biological Systems Engineering Department.

Manuscripts/Articles

1. First author: The first author should be the person who conceptualized the idea(s); developed the experimental design and hypothesis; performed or directly supervised data gathering and data analysis; and performed the majority of data interpretation. Additionally, the first author writes the majority of the manuscript draft, provides draft copies to secondary authors for review and prepares the final copy satisfying abstract and manuscript submission deadlines and formatting requirements.

1. Co-authors: Co-authors should make significant contributions to the research by assisting the first author in the tasks listed above such as, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data or, providing a significant idea(s) related to the research. Additionally, co-authors should be minimally responsible for editing the manuscript with respect to accuracy and intellectual content (Remember, the co-authors share responsibility and accountability for the results!).

3.Corresponding author: Will be Shulin Chen or otherwise designated by Shulin Chen. The corresponding author is responsible for handling communication with editors, and handling all inquiries made regarding the manuscript.

1. Manuscript development process: The authors have ultimate responsibility for results, content, readability and adherence to journal format. After drafting the paper, the first author should send the manuscript to Shulin Chen for comments on technical merit. A brief description of co-author’s contribution should be attached with the paper. A detailed publication procedure is available as a separate document.
2. Authorship vs. acknowledgement: Many people other than the authors, i.e., technical assistants, technicians, editors, funding agencies, etc., will perform duties giving rise to a manuscript. These people/entities are typically given an acknowledgement. Employees who contribute substantial intellectual and/or physical energies that raise their level of involvement as discussed in sections 1 and 2 above should be considered for co-author status.
3. Sponsor acknowledgement: All our work are financially supported by sponsors. Each paper should include this element. Check with Shulin Chen for proper acknowledgement text.

Patents

1.First author: The person who derives the patentable concept is typically designated the first author. Other persons who assist are eligible for co-authorship. In case of disagreement of the authorship, Dr. Chen will be responsible for judging author status.

2.Correspondence: Dr. Chen or the person designated by him will be responsible for contacting the WSU Office of Intellectual Property and other external issuers regarding the patent process.