Policy 4.5: Research Integrity and Authorship  

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., International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, 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, and plagiarism, as those terms are defined in UW Executive Order No. 61. Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion. Alleged violations are addressed under University processes, and a finding requires the elements set out in EO 61.

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). Under UW Executive Order 24, University research with human participants that is not exempt from applicable regulations requires IRB approval before the research is initiated, without exception. Guidance is available from the UW Human Subjects Division and, for research involving animals, the UW Office of Animal Welfare.
• Graduate students and the chairs of all newly formed supervisory committees sign the Graduate School form Use of Human and Animal Subjects for UW Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations, certifying that the student has been advised of human and animal subjects requirements. The form is completed when the committee is constituted and is retained in the student’s departmental file, not returned to the Graduate School.
• Concerns about research misconduct, meaning fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, are referred to the UW Office of Research Misconduct Proceedings (ORMP). Concerns about compliance with human or animal subjects requirements fall outside Executive Order No. 61 and are reported to the UW Human Subjects Division or the UW Office of Animal Welfare.

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).
• The School of Nursing endorses the ICMJE criteria for authorship. Authorship requires all four of the following:
  • substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;
  • drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content;
  • 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.
• Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies do not meet authorship criteria and may not be listed as authors, because such tools cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, or originality of the work. Students who use these tools in the preparation of a manuscript, presentation, or scholarly product should disclose that use and describe how the tool was used: writing assistance is described in the acknowledgments, and use for data collection, analysis, or figure generation is described in the methods. AI-generated material may not be cited as a primary source. Students follow any additional disclosure requirements set by the journal, conference, or funder.
• 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.
• 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.
• Contributions that do not meet authorship criteria (e.g., technical support, data collection, funding acquisition) should be acknowledged appropriately.
• Authorship roles are defined as follows:
  • First/Lead Author: Typically the student, responsible for preparing the first draft, coordinating revisions, and ensuring integrity of the work.
  • Co-Authors: Must meet the authorship criteria above. Providing data or technical assistance alone does not qualify.
  • External Collaborators: Consultants, sponsors, or industry representatives may be authors if they meet the criteria; otherwise they must be acknowledged with disclosed affiliations.
  • Acknowledgements: Individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria but contribute meaningfully should be acknowledged, with their approval where the journal requires it.
  • Prohibited Practices: Courtesy, honorary, and “gift” authorship are not permitted.
• Disputes regarding authorship should first be addressed within the research team. If unresolved, concerns are escalated to the Supervisory Committee (for graduate students), then on referral to the M/PhDCC Chair, and finally to the Associate Dean for Student & Academic Affairs. Section II.E applies the same sequence to PhD students.
• An authorship dispute is not research misconduct. Disputes among collaborators fall outside Executive Order No. 61 and are not referred to the Office of Research Misconduct Proceedings, which addresses only fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. An authorship dispute reaches the Office of Research Misconduct Proceedings only where the underlying facts independently constitute fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.

C. Additional Guidance for Undergraduate Students (A/BSN)

• The requirements in Section II.B apply to undergraduate students engaged in scholarly or research activity, including BSN Honors research.
• Students and the faculty mentor must discuss authorship expectations before the work begins and revisit them if contributions change.
• Executive Order No. 61 does not apply to work undertaken in fulfillment of class assignments or course requirements. Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in that work is academic misconduct under the UW Student Conduct Code and is addressed under UW School of Nursing Policy 4.2: Student Conduct & Eligibility for Participation.
• Authorship disputes follow the escalation sequence in Section II.B, with the faculty mentor and the BSNCC Chair in place of the supervisory committee and the M/PhDCC Chair.

D. 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, which are set out in full in Section II.B and apply to DNP students on the same terms as to all other students.

E. Additional Guidance for PhD Students

• The provisions below apply to PhD students in addition to the requirements in Section II.B, which apply to all students.
• 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.
• Solo Authorship: Rarely, a student may produce a solo-authored paper; this must be discussed with the supervisory committee at proposal stage.
  • Dispute Resolution: Authorship disputes follow the escalation sequence in Section II.B.

III. Roles and Responsibilities Summary

Last updated: September 2026