Why this discipline needs its own guide
Background
Biomedical research is the discipline where CRediT was forged and where its 14-role scaffold maps most cleanly. The original 2012 Harvard / Wellcome workshop convened journal editors and biomedical funders, and the role definitions reflect the contribution patterns of laboratory and translational science: wet-lab investigation, formal analysis of structured datasets, methodology development, software pipelines, and the layered supervision typical of postdoc-led projects in a senior PI’s laboratory.
In biomedical contexts the CRediT statement sits alongside the ICMJE Vancouver criteria. ICMJE decides who qualifies as an author; CRediT records what each of those authors did. The two documents are complementary, not competing, and the major medical journals — Nature, Cell, NEJM, Lancet, BMJ, JAMA — now expect both.
Key considerations
How to assign the roles
- Wet-lab work is captured under Investigation. Distinguish this from Methodology (designing the protocol) and Resources (providing reagents, cell lines or animals).
- Imaging, sequencing, mass spectrometry and microscopy work that involves substantive parameter tuning belongs under Methodology and Investigation rather than Resources.
- Statistical analysis is Formal Analysis. If the statistician was acknowledged rather than named as an author, add a separate Acknowledgements paragraph naming the individual and the work performed.
- Bioinformatics pipelines and custom code belong under Software. Reuse of a published pipeline without modification belongs under Resources.
- Supervision is reserved for the team member(s) with oversight and leadership responsibility, typically the senior PI(s) on the grant.
- Funding Acquisition under ICMJE is not, on its own, sufficient for authorship. Record it where it applies; do not let it stand in for substantive contribution.
Reporting Guideline Integration
ARRIVE 2.0 to CRediT Crosswalk
Mapping Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments to CRediT Roles
The ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines ensure transparent and reproducible reporting of animal research. This crosswalk maps the ARRIVE "Essential 10" checklist items to standard CRediT contributor roles, helping authors clearly attribute the experimental design, animal welfare, and laboratory contributions.
| Checklist Item / Phase | Mapped CRediT Role(s) | Guidance & Practical Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Study designDetail experimental groups, group sizing, and measures to minimize bias. | ConceptualizationMethodology | Formulating the overall experimental structure maps to Conceptualization, while specifying the formal group sizes and design parameters maps to Methodology. |
| 2. Sample sizeSpecify the total number of animals used and how sample size was decided. | MethodologyFormal Analysis | Running power calculations and setting statistical rules maps to Methodology. If a statistician performed these calculations, map to Formal Analysis. |
| 3. Inclusion/ExclusionDefine criteria for excluding animals or data points and state exclusions. | MethodologyInvestigation | Establishing protocol rules maps to Methodology. Reviewing cohort performance and executing the exclusions during raw data assessment maps to Investigation. |
| 4. RandomisationDescribe methods used to allocate animals to experimental groups. | MethodologyInvestigation | Designing the random allocation strategy is Methodology. Executing the physical random assignment in the lab belongs under Investigation. |
| 5. BlindingState who was blinded to group allocation during experiment and assessment. | InvestigationValidation | Performing blind testing belongs under Investigation. Independent validation of outcomes without group knowledge belongs under Validation. |
| 6. Outcome measuresClearly define primary and secondary outcomes assessed. | ConceptualizationMethodology | Aligning endpoints with the scientific hypothesis belongs under Conceptualization, while specifying the precise quantitative metrics and tools belongs under Methodology. |
| 7. Statistical methodsDescribe statistical analysis methods and software used. | Formal AnalysisSoftware | Selecting and applying statistical tests is Formal Analysis. Writing custom analysis code or script pipelines in R, Python, or MATLAB maps to Software. |
| 8. Experimental animalsReport details of animals (species, strain, sex, age, housing, care). | ResourcesInvestigation | Sourcing, breeding, and providing transgenic animal models maps to Resources. Performing daily husbandry and baseline measurements is Investigation. |
| 9. Experimental proceduresDescribe details of all interventions (dosing, administration, surgical steps). | InvestigationMethodology | Performing surgical interventions or dosing is Investigation. Modifying or developing the procedural surgical protocol maps to Methodology. |
| 10. Results reportingReport baseline demographics and analyze outcomes for each group. | InvestigationFormal AnalysisWriting – Original Draft | Compiling experimental metrics is Investigation. Analyzing and modeling outcomes is Formal Analysis. Synthesizing these into the manuscript is Writing – Original Draft. |
Worked example
A representative CRediT statement
Author Contributions (CRediT) A. Patel: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing – original draft. B. Tanaka: Investigation, Formal analysis, Visualization. C. Müller: Software, Data curation, Formal analysis. D. Okafor: Resources, Investigation. E. Liu: Supervision, Funding acquisition, Writing – review & editing.
The role names above match the canonical wording at casrai.org/credit. Most publishers accept exactly this format.
Further reading
Discipline-specific sources
Common questions
Frequently asked
How do I assign CRediT roles for the statistician on a biomedical paper?
Statistical analysis is recorded under Formal Analysis. If the statistician is a named author, assign them Formal Analysis (and any other roles they performed). If they were acknowledged rather than named as an author, do not use a CRediT role for them — instead add a separate Acknowledgements paragraph naming the individual and the work performed.
Does the ICMJE Vancouver criteria replace the CRediT statement?
No — the two are complementary, not competing. ICMJE decides who qualifies as an author, while CRediT records what each of those authors did. The major medical journals such as Nature, Cell, NEJM, and the Lancet now expect both, so a biomedical paper provides an ICMJE-compliant author list together with a CRediT contributor statement.
