What are the best ways to give credit to collaborators in a historical research project?

1 Why is it important to give credit?

Giving credit to collaborators is not only a matter of courtesy and respect, but also a way of ensuring the quality and integrity of your historical research. By acknowledging the sources, methods, and contributions of others, you demonstrate your awareness of the existing literature, your adherence to the ethical principles of historical inquiry, and your recognition of the diversity and complexity of historical perspectives. Giving credit also helps you avoid plagiarism, which is a serious academic offense that can damage your reputation and credibility.

3 How to give credit in the acknowledgments?

Another way to give credit to collaborators in your historical research project is to write an acknowledgments section, where you can express your gratitude and appreciation for the people and organizations that supported or assisted you in various ways. For example, you can thank your co-authors, editors, reviewers, mentors, colleagues, friends, family, funders, institutions, archives, libraries, or any other individuals or groups that helped you with your research. You should be specific and sincere in your acknowledgments, and avoid generic or vague statements. You should also respect the privacy and consent of your collaborators, and ask for their permission before naming them in your acknowledgments.

5 How to give credit in the metadata?

Another way to give credit to collaborators in your historical research project is to include metadata in your document, which is the information that describes and identifies your work, such as the title, abstract, keywords, date, language, format, identifier, rights, and relation. Metadata can help you increase the visibility, accessibility, and discoverability of your work, as well as the attribution and citation of your collaborators. You can use various tools and platforms to create and share metadata, such as ORCID, which is a registry of unique identifiers for researchers and their outputs, or CrossRef, which is a service that links and deposits metadata for scholarly publications.

6 How to give credit in the dissemination?

Another way to give credit to collaborators in your historical research project is to consider the dissemination of your work, which is the process of making your work available and accessible to your intended audience, such as other researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, or the general public. Dissemination can take various forms and channels, such as journals, books, conferences, presentations, podcasts, blogs, social media, or repositories. You should always acknowledge and respect the rights and interests of your collaborators when disseminating your work, and follow the norms and expectations of your field and community. You should also monitor and evaluate the impact and feedback of your work, and share it with your collaborators.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?