Information & Culture: A Journal of History

What does it mean to author or coauthor a scholarly paper or a painting? What conditions have to be fulfilled for authorship status to be granted? Must every researcher on a massively coauthored, high-energy physics paper have penned at least n words to warrant the appellation "coauthor"? Is the touch of the artist necessary for authorship to be granted, or is conceiving and superintending the production of the work sufficient? What kinds and scale of contributions warrant acknowledgment? This article explores authorship and attribution practices in the sciences and in the world of art.