When the Death of a Colleague Meets Academic Publishing: A Call for Compassion

PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Essay

Compassion in Post-Mortem Authorship is Needed

Background: When an academic researcher passes away before their work is published, their colleagues may face difficult legal and ethical challenges in maintaining their authorship. There is little clear guidance on handling post-mortem authorship, forcing corresponding authors to navigate these policies alone.

Key Argument:Many journals’ requirement for a deceased author’s family to sign copyright and disclosure publishing forms is both emotionally distressing and impractical. Instead, journals should allow a corresponding author or supervisor to sign on the deceased’s behalf. This approach would respect the author’s contributions while sparing families from unnecessary hardship.

Why It Matters: More thoughtful policies could help preserve the legacy of deceased authors while reducing stress for colleagues handling post-mortem authorship.                     

When the Death of a Colleague Meets Academic Publishing: A Call for Compassion 

Catherine G. Derington, PharmD, MS

Intermountain Healthcare Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah Spencer Fox-Eccles School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah