coautor

A coautor is a person who has contributed significantly to the creation of a written work and is credited as an author on that work. The term is commonly used in Spanish and Portuguese, and corresponds to the English “coauthor” or “co-author.”

Authorship criteria in scholarly publishing typically require a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; participation in drafting or revising the manuscript; approval of the final version; and accountability for all aspects of the work. Contributions should be credible and verifiable, and authors should meet a shared standard of integrity.

Order and roles among coauthors vary by discipline. The first author generally reflects the largest contribution, while the last author often holds a supervisory or senior role. Some fields list authors alphabetically, and many journals allow equal-contribution notes. The corresponding author handles submission and correspondence with the journal.

Ethics and responsibilities are central to coauthorship. Coauthors share responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work, disclose conflicts of interest, and address disputes through discussion or institutional guidelines. Practices such as ghost authorship or gift authorship are widely discouraged and can undermine credibility and accountability.

Related concepts and tools include the CRediT taxonomy, which specifies contributor roles (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing, supervision). Transparency in contributions helps readers understand who did what and supports fair credit across research communities.