Authorship

The BARC must charge for services rendered by staff. Charging for services does not preclude authorship on manuscripts provided by the BARC individual who has contributed to the research in a substantial way. If authorship is anticipated, it is preferably established at the beginning of the project so that all are cognizant of each other’s criteria.

The ABRF recommendation was previously published in Angeletti et al. in 1999 (FASEB Journal, 13:595).

BARC Contribution Models and Authorship Determination 

BARC supports research projects under two primary contribution models. The appropriate model is determined by the scope of work and level of analytic responsibility, and should be established prior to project initiation. 

Collaborative Contribution (Authorship-Eligible) 

Scope of work 

BARC personnel contribute to the project through substantive analytic involvement that extends beyond predefined or routine processing. 

Activities may include, but are not limited to: 

• Selection, development, or modification of analytic methods 

• Evaluation of alternative analytic strategies 

• Iterative refinement of analyses based on results 

• Integration of datasets requiring methodological judgment 

• Generation of figures, tables, or analyses used directly in manuscripts (formatting, editing beyond what’s generated through pipeline) 

Responsibilities 

BARC personnel share responsibility for: 

• Defining and justifying analytic approaches 

• Ensuring the rigor, appropriateness, and limitations of the analyses 

• Defending analytic decisions during internal review, peer review, and post-publication inquiry 

BARC personnel are expected to: 

• Engage substantively with the results, including biological and/or statistical interpretation 

• Contribute to relevant sections of the manuscript and/or critically review analytic content 

• Participate in responses to reviewer comments related to analyses 

Recognition 

Given the level of intellectual contribution and accountability, this mode of engagement is typically associated with authorship, consistent with standard scholarly norms

Fee-for-Service Contribution (Acknowledgment-Based) 

Scope of work may be re-evaluated based on subsequent requests made by PI outside of the initial Scope. 

BARC provides predefined, standardized analytic services as specified at project outset. 

Activities may include: 

• Execution of established workflows (e.g., alignment, standard processing, predefined integration) as determined/requested by the PI with or without recommendations from BARC. 

• Delivery of agreed-upon outputs and documentation. Non-publication images will be considered standard. 

• Analytic parameters, workflows, and deliverables are determined in advance by the requesting research team. BARC may provide limited recommendations (e.g., recommend one package over another), but final decision will remain with PI. 

Responsibilities 

The requesting PI and their research team retain full responsibility for: 

• Selection and justification of analytic approaches 

• Interpretation of results and biological conclusions 

• Defense of analytic decisions and results in manuscripts, peer review, and post-publication contexts 

BARC’s responsibility is limited to: 

• Accurate and reproducible execution of the agreed technical scope 

• List of methods and parameters used 

Limitations 

Under this model, BARC personnel: 

• Do not engage in scientific interpretation or hypothesis-driven analysis 

• Do not assume responsibility for downstream conclusions 

• Do not participate in manuscript preparation or reviewer responses beyond brief summary response. 

Recognition 

Contributions under this model are recognized through formal acknowledgment, not authorship. 

Guiding Principle 

The determination of authorship versus acknowledgment is based on analytic ownership, intellectual contribution, and responsibility for results, rather than the specific tools, software packages, or workflows employed.