Excerpt from the P.I.E. Guidelines for Authors – PIE arbitration

The two major authorship disagreements that may be addressed directly or through the PIE are interpretation about contribution criteria, and issues of misconduct. Contribution criteria are centred on the degree of involvement needed to be gifted certified author status, and is an issue that can sometimes require arbitration from a neutral outsider. It is vital that the contributions made to each published article are represented accurately to ascertain where credit is due. The extent of a person’s right to authorship status should always be determined at the outset of a project so that everyone understands their position. Failing this, the PIE can become involved to help all parties come to a satisfactory and agreeable settlement.

Misconduct issues are when individuals are engaging in unethical behaviour regarding the authorship matter, and are circumstances that need to be swiftly and robustly resolved. Authorship is as much a historical record as the content itself, and any wrongdoing or unethical behaviour must be recognised and dealt with.

Finally, in case of breach of the PIE’s Guidelines and recommendations on ethical editorial conduct, authors may complain to the PIE Council Sub-Committee. This can only be performed after previously addressing the matter directly to the editor or the publisher of the paper.

While such matters are usually resolved in a suitably amicable and professional manner, in case there is no resolution or the publisher fails to comply, authors may formulate written complaints through PIE andask for mediation.