Acknowledgments in scientific papers: perceptions and behavior of Brazilian researchers

Abstract

The research work explores, through interviews, perceptions and behavior of researchers from different areas affiliated to the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (UFRGS) related to acknowledgments in scientific papers. The results show that researchers use acknowledgments to reward minor contributions of various types. The reasons for acknowledging identified in researchers' behavior are determined by institutional requirements (funding acknowledgments) and specific habits (acknowledgments of non-financial nature) of the communities in each area associated with ethical and professional rules of conduct. The evidence found reveals different acknowledgment behavior across areas of knowledge, with a preference for gratitude for conceptual / intellectual support in Social Sciences and Exact Sciences and gratitude for technical / instrumental support in Agriculture and Health Sciences. The lack of formal rules makes application of sanctions impossible for those cases in which authors fail to acknowledge the contributions received. Most researchers oppose the use of acknowledgments as an indicator of academic impact. The paper concludes that the inclusion of acknowledgments in articles to show gratitude to peers and other social actors is a common practice in the scientific communication process and can express non-traditional forms of collaboration and material and /or intellectual influence.