University of Michigan Medical School Central Biorepository Policy Acknowledgment and Authorship

1. Researchers who use research material, equipment, services, expertise, and/or data generated at the UMMS CBR must acknowledge the UMMS CBR in all publications, grant applications, and presentations linked to the previous stated.
2. Researchers who use research material, equipment, services, expertise, and/or data generated by a separate current or former University of Michigan Principal Investigator must acknowledge that Principal Investigator and/or his or her key staff in all publications, grant applications, and presentations linked to the previous stated.
3. All research material within the UMMS CBR is collected and transferred to the UMMS CBR by University of Michigan Principal Investigators or with their collaboration. Researchers who use research material from the UMMS CBR must acknowledge both the UMMS CBR and the Principal Investigator and/or his or her key staff in all publications and grant applications linked to the previous stated.
4. If research material from a primary study with a specific Acknowledgment and Authorship Policy is utilized for a publication, grant application, or presentation, the publishing researchers shall be required to follow the policy linked to the material distributed from that primary study in addition to this policy.
5. The UMMS CBR shall provide the names of Principal Investigators on primary studies to should be consulted regarding acknowledgment in a publication, grant application, or presentation.
6. When acknowledging the services of the UMMS CBR, the following language shall be used: “The authors acknowledge the University of Michigan Medical School Central Biorepository for providing biospecimen storage, management, and distribution services in support of the research reported in this publication/grantapplication/presentation.”

1. Investigators using biospecimens under the stewardship of the UMMS CBR should consider adding authors to publications that include results generated from the use of these biospecimens.

a. If a Principal Investigator contributing biospecimens to the UMMS CBR expects to be an author on all publications generated from secondary use of those biospecimens, he or she will indicate this at the initiation of the project with the UMMS CBR. In this event, that Principal Investigator must commit to meeting the criteria for authorship as stated in the UMMS authorship policies referenced in (2) below.

2. The UMMS CBR recognizes the authorship guidance provided by the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Medical School. Briefly, authorship should be based on the following criteria: 

a. Significant contribution to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work 

b. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content

c. Final approval of the version to be published;

d. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated. 

3. The UMMS CBR shall provide the names of Principal Investigators on primary studies who should be contacted with respect to authorship on a publication, grant application, or presentation.

4. If a conflict over authorship arises, every attempt should be made to find a resolution at the local level by the authors themselves. If the immediate group fails to find a satisfactory resolution, the concerned party may seek guidance from a third party that is acceptable to all authors. This may be a department research associate chair, chair, research associate dean, dean, or the university ombudsperson. The Research Integrity Officer (RIO) in the U-M Office of Research may facilitate resolutions for inter-departmental disputes. This document should be used as a guide and any resolution to an authorship dispute must be consistent with the ‘Policy Statement on the Integrity of Scholarship’ and the associated ‘Procedures for Investigating Allegations of Misconduct in the Pursuit of Scholarship and Research’ described in SPG 303.03. Disputes should be resolved before work is presented or submitted for publication. 

1. The UMMS  Director or designee will periodically contact users of UMMS CBR requesting data pertaining to publications using CBR resources.
2. When requested by the UMMS CBR, publishing Principal Investigators agree to supply:

a. The name and number of federal or other grants that utilize UMMS CBR services; and/or

b. Publications that have been generated using UMMS CBR resources.

Principal Investigators external to the University of Michigan requesting UMMS CBR services will be required to agree to this policy within the Material Transfer Agreement(s) authorizing their use of UMMS CBR biospecimens.