Does CIHR require CRediT?

No - CIHR formal policy text is silent on CRediT. The tri-agency framework defers to journal practice on contributorship, and most receiving biomedical journals require CRediT statements regardless.

How does the Canadian Common CV (CCV) handle CRediT?

The CCV Contributions section invites narrative description of your role on listed publications - CRediT-aligned phrasing fits naturally in that field without requiring CIHR to adopt CRediT formally.

Should SPOR patient partners appear in CRediT statements?

Where their involvement meets a substantive contribution threshold (typically Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, or Writing - review & editing), yes. SPOR guidance encourages meaningful patient-partner engagement and the CRediT statement is the appropriate place to record substantive contribution.

Does the tri-agency RDM policy affect CRediT?

Indirectly - where datasets are deposited as part of tri-agency RDM compliance, the Data curation and Software roles in the resulting CRediT statement should reflect who held those responsibilities.

CRediT statement guide

CIHR - using CRediT in your application

CIHR's formal policy text is silent on CRediT, but the tri-agency framework and most receiving biomedical journals expect CRediT statements on funded publications. Use the Canadian Common CV (CCV) to articulate your role on cited multi-author works.

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At application stage

What CIHR asks for in proposals

CIHR applications are submitted through ResearchNet using the Canadian Common CV (CCV) - the tri-agency standardised biographical sketch shared with NSERC and SSHRC. Application templates vary by programme (Project Grant, Foundation Grant, Team Grant) but none requires a CRediT statement at proposal stage. The Research Proposal, Track Record, and (for team grants) Team Composition sections are where CRediT-aligned articulation belongs.

Where to embed a CRediT statement

The CCV Contributions section invites narrative description of your role on listed publications - this is the natural place for CRediT-aligned phrasing. For CIHR Team Grants, the Team Composition and Governance section asks applicants to describe each PI's contribution and the coordination plan; CRediT vocabulary fits naturally. For SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) applications, patient-partner contributions can be articulated using CRediT roles where the involvement warrants it.

Sample wording

In a CCV Contributions entry: "Led Conceptualization and Methodology; contributed Formal analysis and Writing - review & editing." For a CIHR Team Grant Team Composition: "PI 1 holds Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, and Supervision across the team; PI 2 leads Methodology for the qualitative arm."

At final-report stage

How CRediT figures in CIHR progress and final reports

CIHR final reports collect publications, datasets, knowledge-translation activities, and impact narratives through ResearchNet. Tri-agency financial reporting runs in parallel. CRediT is not parsed as structured fields in CIHR reporting.

Does CIHR ingest CRediT as structured metadata?

CIHR does not ingest CRediT as structured metadata. The chain runs through the publication layer: journal records CRediT in JATS, article is deposited in PubMed Central, PubMed Central Canada, or an institutional repository within 12 months of publication (tri-agency OA policy), and contribution metadata is recoverable from the article record. The tri-agency OA policy is under review; a stricter immediate-OA position is anticipated.

Common pitfalls

Things to avoid

Treating the tri-agency OA 12-month embargo as permanent; the policy is under review and immediate-OA may become the standard.
Failing to register CIHR-funded clinical trials prospectively on a WHO-recognised registry, which is a separate compliance requirement.
Using the wrong CIHR funding-acknowledgement format; the operating-grant or programme reference must appear in the standard form.
Treating SPOR patient-partner contributions as Acknowledgements rather than candidate authorship contributions where the involvement meets a CRediT role threshold.
Confusing tri-agency RDM policy (effective 2023) with CRediT; the RDM policy governs data, CRediT governs contribution articulation.

Worked example

Sample CRediT statement for a CIHR proposal

Illustrative wording (names invented) - adapt to your team and confirm the CIHR-specific funding-acknowledgement format current at time of submission.

Conceptualization: I. Tremblay, H. Singh, M. Cardinal (Indigenous community lead). Methodology: I. Tremblay, H. Singh. Investigation: I. Tremblay, H. Singh, M. Cardinal, K. Beaulieu. Formal analysis: H. Singh, K. Beaulieu. Writing - original draft: I. Tremblay, M. Cardinal. Writing - review & editing: all authors. Funding acquisition: I. Tremblay. Supervision: I. Tremblay. Project administration: H. Singh. This research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) under grant reference XXX-XXXXXX. The authors acknowledge community partners and patient advisors whose contributions are reflected in the CRediT statement above.

Frequently asked

CIHR + CRediT - common questions

Does CIHR require CRediT?: No - CIHR formal policy text is silent on CRediT. The tri-agency framework defers to journal practice on contributorship, and most receiving biomedical journals require CRediT statements regardless.
How does the Canadian Common CV (CCV) handle CRediT?: The CCV Contributions section invites narrative description of your role on listed publications - CRediT-aligned phrasing fits naturally in that field without requiring CIHR to adopt CRediT formally.
Should SPOR patient partners appear in CRediT statements?: Where their involvement meets a substantive contribution threshold (typically Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, or Writing - review & editing), yes. SPOR guidance encourages meaningful patient-partner engagement and the CRediT statement is the appropriate place to record substantive contribution.
Does the tri-agency RDM policy affect CRediT?: Indirectly - where datasets are deposited as part of tri-agency RDM compliance, the Data curation and Software roles in the resulting CRediT statement should reflect who held those responsibilities.

Related guidance