Navigating the Complexities of Supervisor-Student Co-Authorship

Co-authorship is crucial in the development of research and career growth of scientists. However, the relationship between a scientific supervisor and a student (undergraduate, postgraduate) is often complicated by issues of fair distribution of authorship, which is critical for supporting diversity and inclusivity in the scientific community. So, it is important to discuss the ethical co-authorship between scientific supervisors and students in the context of fair co-authorship practices, taking into account both the basic principles of academic freedom and the formal academic requirements. The purpose of this work is to characterize the current state of the problem using the experience of a leading higher education institution in Ukraine – the National Technical University of Ukraine «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute», where, as part of promoting the development of scientific schools, co-authorship with students is incentivized by increasing points in the teaching rating compared to a single-authored article by a teacher. At the same time, we analyze additional difficulties faced by PhD candidates in preparing for the defense of their dissertation when their publications are co-authored. These requirements for dissertation approbation create a paradoxical situation where collaboration with a scientific supervisor can contribute to the development of a young scientist and complicate the process of defending their work. The work covers ethical principles of co-authorship, based on international recommendations on academic freedom and integrity, and taking into account the specifics of the «supervisor-student» relationship. Particular attention is paid to achieving a balance between the mentoring role of the scientific supervisor, the importance of recognizing the student’s contribution, and compliance with formal requirements for dissertations, as well as cases of mixing the concepts of «scientific supervisor» and «co-author». Practical recommendations are proposed for: 1) making the decision: whether a scientific supervisor should be a co-author with the student or not, 2) implementing ethical co-authorship practices, including clear definition of roles at the beginning of the project and regular discussions and recording of each participant’s contribution, taking into account the requirements of open science, 3) better distinguishing when a scientific supervisor becomes a co-author of the work and when they remain only a mentor. We consider how these recommendations can be adapted in the context of co-authorship incentive systems and requirements for dissertation defense. In general, it is possible to argue that co-authorship between a scientific supervisor and a student, is not critically necessary for the development of a scientific school. It cannot be prohibited due to the norms of academic freedom; however, it does not require additional stimulation. Instead, when it occurs, new ethical challenges arise.