Guide
How to write an author contributions statement
An author contributions statement declares exactly which of the 14 CRediT roles each co-author performed. This guide shows how to draft one, handle edge cases, and format it for submission.
The step most authors miss
Doing CRediT right? Don’t stop at the statement.
A CRediT statement credits you inside one paper. The recognition CRediT was built for happens when those roles are tied to you, persistently. Sign in with your ORCID — free — and claim your CRediT contributions on casrai.org, the home of the standard. They become a verified, portable part of your identity, not a line that disappears into one PDF.
Free: claim your contributions, then export a journal-ready CRediT statement, schema.org structured data, JATS XML, CSV or BibTeX — and preview your public profile. A membership publishes that profile publicly and verifies the journals you serve.
What an author contributions statement contains
A CRediT author contributions statement lists every named author followed by the roles they performed and, where relevant, the degree qualifier (lead, equal, or supporting). A basic two-author example reads: "Jane Smith: Conceptualisation (lead), Methodology, Writing – original draft. John Doe: Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – review and editing." The statement appears as a mandatory or strongly encouraged section of the manuscript, usually before the references or in a structured metadata panel, depending on the journal's template.
The role-assignment process
Role assignment works best as a conversation among all co-authors at or before the drafting stage — not as a last-minute task at submission. The corresponding author typically circulates a checklist of the 14 roles and asks each author to mark the roles they performed. For large collaborations, it helps to appoint a contributor-statement coordinator. Where two or more authors share a role substantially equally, list both with the "equal" qualifier. Where one author led and others supported, use "lead" and "supporting". Authors should be conservative: only assign a role if genuinely performed.
Formatting for different journal types
Most journals accept either a free-text paragraph format (Name: Role1, Role2.) or capture roles via a structured submission-system interface (Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, EVISE, or publisher-specific portals). When writing the statement as free text, use the canonical CRediT role names exactly as defined in ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022, separated by commas, with each author on a new sentence or line. For JATS XML, each role is encoded as a <role> element with the vocab="credit" attribute pointing to the canonical URI. Some journals require a separate "Equal contributions" footnote for authors who share lead status.
Edge cases: non-applicable roles and equal contributions
Not all 14 roles will apply to every paper. Omit roles that no author performed — there is no need to assign a "not applicable" entry. If two or more authors contributed equally overall (not just within one role), journals typically ask for an "equal contribution" footnote in addition to the CRediT statement, because CRediT role parity and equal authorship contribution are distinct concepts. For systematic reviews or meta-analyses with very large author groups, a contribution matrix table is often clearer than a paragraph, and some journals now accept this format explicitly.
Converting existing acknowledgements sections
If a paper was drafted before CRediT was required and has a descriptive acknowledgements section, it can be converted: read each sentence of the acknowledgements, identify which of the 14 roles the described activity maps to, and assign accordingly. Common conversions include "designed the study" → Conceptualisation and Methodology; "collected data" → Investigation; "performed statistical analysis" → Formal analysis; "wrote the first draft" → Writing – original draft; "funded by grant X" is not a CRediT role (Funding acquisition goes to the author who acquired the grant, not as an acknowledgement to the funder).
Key facts
At a glance
- Format: "Author Name: Role1 (qualifier), Role2." — one sentence per author
- Qualifiers: lead / equal / supporting, optional for each role
- Timing: agree roles before or during drafting, not just at submission
- Omission: do not assign roles that were not genuinely performed
- Equal: "equal" qualifier within a role ≠ "equal contribution" authorship footnote
- XML: JATS <role vocab="credit" vocab-identifier="..."> element
- Systems: Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, EVISE — most auto-generate the statement
- Standard: ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022 defines role names and URIs
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: You should assign every author every role to avoid disputes.
Actually: Assigning roles not genuinely performed defeats the purpose of CRediT and inflates contribution claims. Only assign roles each author actually performed.
Often heard: The author contributions statement replaces the acknowledgements section.
Actually: They serve different purposes. The CRediT statement captures the specific roles each named author performed. Acknowledgements cover external contributors (not authors), funding sources, equipment, and data access. Both sections typically appear together.
Often heard: If a journal does not require a CRediT statement, you cannot include one.
Actually: Many journals that do not mandate CRediT statements will accept them voluntarily. Check the author guidelines; adding a statement proactively is generally welcomed and improves the record.
Common questions
FAQ
What if an author refuses to participate in role assignment?+
The corresponding author should note which roles that author is known to have performed based on the manuscript history, then seek confirmation. Most journals treat the corresponding author as responsible for ensuring the statement is accurate. If a co-author actively disputes a role assignment, this should be escalated to the journal editor.
Does the order of roles within an author's list matter?+
No canonical ordering is required. Many authors and publishers list roles in the order of the 14 standard roles (Conceptualisation first, Funding acquisition last); others list them in descending importance. Consistency within a paper is more important than a specific ordering convention.
Can I use abbreviations in the author contributions statement?+
Only if the journal explicitly accepts them and the abbreviations are defined. Using the full canonical role names from ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022 is strongly preferred for machine-readability and interoperability.
