Does NIHR require CRediT on funded publications?

NIHR's publication policy explicitly recommends a CRediT statement on funded peer-reviewed outputs. While "recommended" rather than "contractually required", in practice NIHR reviewers and compliance teams expect to see CRediT statements on the resulting articles.

How should PPI contributors appear in a CRediT statement?

Where their involvement meets the threshold of substantive contribution (typically Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, or Writing - review & editing), PPI co-applicants should be named in the CRediT statement of the resulting publication. NIHR guidance discourages relegating substantive PPI to acknowledgements.

Where do I find the official NIHR funding-acknowledgement wording?

The NIHR publication policy specifies the wording by programme. Always use the version current at time of submission - the format includes the funding programme name, the award reference, and the standard disclaimer about views not necessarily reflecting NIHR or DHSC positions.

Do NIHR Journals Library titles require CRediT?

The NIHR Journals Library templates include CRediT statements as a structured field; authors submitting to titles such as Health Technology Assessment, Public Health Research, or Health and Social Care Delivery Research can expect a CRediT prompt in the submission flow.

CRediT statement guide

NIHR - using CRediT in your application

NIHR is one of the most CRediT-forward national funders. Its publication policy expects CRediT statements on funded outputs and recognises Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) contributors as candidates for explicit role assignment.

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At application stage

What NIHR asks for in proposals

NIHR applications submitted through the NIHR Funding Service (since 2023) include structured sections on team composition, Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), Plain English Summary, and a research plan. While the application itself does not require a CRediT statement, it does ask applicants to describe each team member's anticipated role - including PPI partners - and CRediT vocabulary fits naturally into those answers.

Where to embed a CRediT statement

The PPI section is the highest-leverage place to apply CRediT thinking: when you describe how patient or public partners will be involved, naming their anticipated CRediT roles (typically Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, or Writing - review & editing) signals to NIHR reviewers that you have planned beyond tokenistic involvement. The team-composition section and the research-plan workpackages are also natural homes for CRediT-aligned role articulation.

Sample wording

A sentence such as "Our PPI co-applicants will lead Conceptualization of the lived-experience workpackage and contribute Methodology to the outcome-measure selection" demonstrates substantive PPI involvement using a vocabulary NIHR readers recognise.

At final-report stage

How CRediT figures in NIHR progress and final reports

NIHR final reports include a Plain English Summary, the resulting publications, and a structured account of outputs. NIHR's publication policy expects a CRediT statement on each funded peer-reviewed publication.

Does NIHR ingest CRediT as structured metadata?

NIHR does not currently parse CRediT as structured metadata in its reporting systems, but the policy expectation that funded outputs carry a CRediT statement creates a clear chain: the journal records CRediT in JATS, the article goes to Europe PMC under the CC BY open-access requirement, and the contribution record is recoverable from the Europe PMC article view. Long-form NIHR outputs (the NIHR Journals Library titles) include CRediT statements directly in their structured templates.

Common pitfalls

Things to avoid

Relegating PPI contributors to the Acknowledgements section when their involvement meets a CRediT role threshold - NIHR policy expects substantive PPI to be visible in the contributorship statement.
Omitting the precise NIHR funding-acknowledgement wording (the programme name and award reference appear in a specified format) - this is checked at compliance review.
Treating CRediT as optional on the funded publication; NIHR publication policy explicitly recommends it.
Failing to deposit the accepted manuscript in Europe PMC at time of publication under a CC BY licence, regardless of CRediT.
Confusing NIHR-specific PPI guidance with generic ICMJE authorship rules; NIHR can expect PPI authorship where the contribution warrants it.

Worked example

Sample CRediT statement for a NIHR proposal

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

Conceptualization: H. Khan, E. O'Brien (PPI co-applicant), J. Wright. Methodology: H. Khan, M. Davies. Investigation: H. Khan, M. Davies, K. Thompson. Formal analysis: H. Khan, M. Davies. Writing - original draft: H. Khan. Writing - review & editing: all authors, including PPI co-applicants. Funding acquisition: H. Khan. Project administration: J. Wright. This study/project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit Programme (Grant Reference Number NIHR-XXXXXX). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Frequently asked

NIHR + CRediT - common questions

Does NIHR require CRediT on funded publications?: NIHR's publication policy explicitly recommends a CRediT statement on funded peer-reviewed outputs. While "recommended" rather than "contractually required", in practice NIHR reviewers and compliance teams expect to see CRediT statements on the resulting articles.
How should PPI contributors appear in a CRediT statement?: Where their involvement meets the threshold of substantive contribution (typically Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, or Writing - review & editing), PPI co-applicants should be named in the CRediT statement of the resulting publication. NIHR guidance discourages relegating substantive PPI to acknowledgements.
Does NIHR ingest CRediT as structured metadata?: Not in current reporting systems. The chain runs through the publication layer: journal records CRediT in JATS, the article is deposited in Europe PMC under CC BY, and the contribution metadata is recoverable from the article record.
Where do I find the official NIHR funding-acknowledgement wording?: The NIHR publication policy specifies the wording by programme. Always use the version current at time of submission - the format includes the funding programme name, the award reference, and the standard disclaimer about views not necessarily reflecting NIHR or DHSC positions.
Do NIHR Journals Library titles require CRediT?: The NIHR Journals Library templates include CRediT statements as a structured field; authors submitting to titles such as Health Technology Assessment, Public Health Research, or Health and Social Care Delivery Research can expect a CRediT prompt in the submission flow.

Related guidance