Skip to content

Policy 4.5: Research Integrity and Authorship  

Applies to: A/BSN, CIPCT (MS), DNP, Certs, PhD students engaged in scholarly or research activities.

I. Policy Statement

The School of Nursing (SoN) upholds the highest standards of research integrity, in alignment with University of Washington and federal regulations. All students engaged in scholarly, research, or creative work are expected to adhere to ethical principles in the collection, analysis, reporting, and dissemination of data.

Authorship on publications, presentations, or products must reflect substantial intellectual contributions and follow accepted disciplinary guidelines (e.g., ICMJE). Students should receive appropriate credit for their contributions and are responsible for ensuring accuracy and integrity in their work.

Violations of research integrity include fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices that seriously deviate from accepted norms. Alleged violations will be addressed under University processes.

II. Process

A. Research Integrity

  • Students must complete all University-required training in the responsible conduct of research before beginning funded or human subjects work.
  • Research must comply with applicable regulations and approvals (e.g., IRB, data use agreements).
  • Concerns about research misconduct are referred to the UW Office of Research Misconduct Proceedings (ORMP).

B. Authorship and Credit

  • Students and faculty are expected to discuss authorship expectations at the initiation of a project and revisit them as work evolves.
  • Authorship decisions must be consistent with disciplinary standards (e.g., ICMJE for health sciences).
  • Contributions that do not meet authorship criteria (e.g., technical support, data collection, funding acquisition) should be acknowledged appropriately.
  • Disputes regarding authorship should first be addressed within the research team. If unresolved, concerns may be escalated to the Supervisory Committee (for graduate students) or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

C. Additional Guidance for DNP Students

  • Early Discussion: Students and faculty should discuss authorship expectations when beginning any joint project.
  • Content of Discussion: Conversations should include whether the student will share authorship credit, anticipated authorship order, and division of labor.
  • Revisiting Authorship: Because contributions often evolve, authorship discussions should be revisited at key milestones (e.g., completion of an independent study, conference abstract submission, or journal draft preparation).
  • Documentation: It is recommended that faculty or students draft a brief memo summarizing the agreed authorship plan and division of labor.
  • Standards: The SoN endorses the ICMJE criteria for authorship.

D. Additional Guidance for PhD Students

  • Scope: All scholarly or scientific publications arising from academic activities performed under the auspices of the UW School of Nursing must include appropriate authorship attribution and disclosure of relevant affiliations.
  • Graduate School Representative (GSR): The GSR is not normally included as an author on publications due to conflict of interest. If a GSR meets authorship criteria, they may not serve in the GSR role, and the PhD committee must be reconstituted.
  • Disclosure of Support: Publications must disclose financial and other supporting relationships, including grants, scholarships, in-kind contributions, or industry sponsorship. Research, teaching, or student assistantships that fund the student’s training do not require disclosure.
  • Authorship Standards: The School of Nursing endorses ICMJE authorship criteria. Authorship requires contribution to:
    • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
    • Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; AND
    • Final approval of the version to be published; AND Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Rarely, a student may produce a solo-authored paper; this should be discussed with the committee at proposal stage.

  • Roles:  
    • First/Lead Author: Typically the student, responsible for preparing the first draft, coordinating revisions, and ensuring integrity of the work.
    • Co-Authors: Must meet authorship criteria. Simply providing data or technical assistance does not qualify.
    • External Collaborators: Consultants, sponsors, or industry representatives may be authors if they meet criteria; otherwise, they should be acknowledged with disclosed affiliations.
    • Acknowledgements: Individuals who do not meet authorship criteria but contribute meaningfully should be acknowledged, with approval if required by the journal.
    • Prohibited Practices: Courtesy, honorary, or “gift” authorship is not permitted.
    • Dispute Resolution: Authorship roles should be discussed early in planning stages. If disputes cannot be resolved within the research team, concerns may be escalated to the M/PhDCC Chair and, if unresolved, to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

III. Roles and Responsibilities Summary

Activity Student Faculty Adviser / PI Supervisory Committee ADAA ORMP
Complete required research integrity training R/A I I
Uphold ethical research conduct R/A R/A C
Establish and revisit authorship expectations C R/A C
Address authorship or integrity concerns at project level R R/A C I
Escalate unresolved authorship disputes I C R/A (or M/PhDCC Chair) A I
Investigate alleged research misconduct I I I I R/A

RACI Legend:

  • R = Responsible: Performs the task
  • A = Accountable: Ultimately answerable
  • C = Consulted: Provides input
  • I = Informed: Kept up to date

Related Policies & References

Last updated: September 2025