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Guidelines for collaborative projects

Dr Frank Gaillard et al.

Posters and articles are a great way for Radiopaedians not only to improve the site as a whole, as they research and improve existing entries, but also offer a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with radiologists from across the globe. See collaborative publications by radiopaedians

For collaboration to be successful a few simple guidelines should be followed. As all guidelines, these are merely suggestions, and depending on the project these may or may not be applicable.

decide exactly on the title and scope of the project
decide who the first author will be (essential)
limit the number of active collaborators to a small and involved group (2-3 is ideal) as:
- the poster still gets written mostly by one or two authors with input from / review / guidance from a third
- additional authors (4th, 5th etc..) essentially get a 'free' publication, which is not only frowned upon by accademia at large (as it should be) but also...
- make being first author (and the work that it entails) or significantly contributing as second / third author less attractive (after all you can be fifth author and do little)
- too many cooks spoil the broth - too many people involved will slow down submission with too many back-and-forths
decide what are the responsibilities of each author, for example:
1. first author : responsible for abstract, first rough draft of presentation and submission process
2. second author : fleshing out draft to 'near-finished' state
3. third author : preparing diagrams
4. all authors proof read versions and suggest improvements
set deadlines