Beyond Alphabetical Order: The Weird and Wonderful Ways Ecologists Determine Authorship
This blog post explores unconventional methods for determining authorship order in ecology and evolutionary biology papers. From alphabetization to basketball skills, even coin flips, rock-paper-scissors, and bake-offs have been used. The author compiled numerous examples, including croquet matches, random number generators, geographical location, practical considerations, game theory, and dice rolls to decide authorship order. A brownie bake-off stands out as the most unusual and entertaining example. The post also highlights a retracted paper due to authorship disputes, along with examples using code and other innovative approaches. The lighthearted tone reveals the creativity and challenges researchers face when ordering authors.
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