Dear Terry,
There is nothing nuanced about a tribute signature. The term “tribute signature” applies to a situation where someone with authority over another person is in a position to demand that the other person include his name on an article to which he has made no contribution.
The authority role may be that of the supervisor of a PhD student, the employer of postdoctoral researcher, the director of a research centre employee or a lab employee, or the manager of a staff member or faculty member. The authority role gives this person opportunities either to advance or to thwart the career and development of the author. The authority is thus in a position to exact tribute, much as pirates and corrupt officials have done throughout history to those in a weak or dependent position.
Different examples of a contribution warranting co-author status appear in the university policies and journal policies I posted earlier. [These appear below.] These policies cover nuanced situations where a potential co-author makes different kinds of genuine contribution: creative, conceptual, intellectual, as well as providing data or helping to structure the research or by writing drafts. This means that one may be a co-author without writing a word. To meet the standards of all policies known to me, co-authors must have read the article at some point so that they are aware of the contents, provide feedback to the corresponding author, and have a genuine relationship to the contents.
One should not grant co-author status to someone simply because they have been a tutor, an inspiration, or an exemplar, nor because they are highly visible or have high status in the field, nor because the author has in some way drawn on the work of another. That is known as a “gift” signature. These situations occur when an author inappropriately volunteers a signature, but the gift co-author does not demand it.
The “tribute signature” is a case where the co-author demands co-author status, claiming signature rights inappropriately and in violation of research ethics and authorship policies.
One cannot claim co-author status because one has arranged the funding for an author’s research. One cannot claim co-author status merely because the author is employed in the program, project, or unit for which one has managerial responsibility.
Your situation with Prof. French cannot be considered a “tribute signature.”
Because Prof. French has died, however, and because the project took place long ago, it would be inappropriate for you to list him as a co-author. Most journals require that all authors must be aware of their contribution and accept author status. If you publish this article now, the appropriate way to recognise the contribution of Prof. French is an acknowledgement and a statement of the contribution he made to your thinking.
The statements and policies below respect and account for nuanced factors and the need to make careful judgement calls.
The case of the tribute signature is quite different. It is a form of extortion and bribery, and it is not at all nuanced.
Yours,
Ken
Ken Friedman, PhD, DSc (hc), FDRS | Editor-in-Chief | 设计 She Ji. The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation | Published by Tongji University in Cooperation with Elsevier | URL: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/she-ji-the-journal-of-design-economics-and-innovation/
Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies | College of Design and Innovation | Tongji University | Shanghai, China ||| University Distinguished Professor | Centre for Design Innovation | Swinburne University of Technology | Melbourne, Australia
—snip--
Policies from Yale University, Stanford University, Imperial College, and University of Melbourne:
http://provost.yale.edu/academic-integrity/authorship
https://doresearch.stanford.edu/policies/research-policy-handbook/conduct-research/academic-authorship
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/authorship/
https://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1181
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Discussions and policy statements from the journals Science, Nature, BMJ:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/327/5961/12.full
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2001_03_30/nodoi.9203462371499238483
http://www.nature.com/authors/policies/authorship.html
http://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-authors/article-submission/authorship-contributorship
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Elsevier Guidelines covering journals such as Design Studies and She Ji:
https://www.publishingcampus.elsevier.com/websites/elsevier_publishingcampus/files/Guides/Quick_guide_Research_Ethics.pdf
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The MIT Press and its journals — including Design Issues -- follow the ethical standards of the Committee on Publishing Ethics:
http://publicationethics.org
http://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standards_authors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011_0.pdf
—snip--
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