Academic Olympism and Authorship: Honoring Contributions to Collaborative Scholarship

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On August 1, 2021, the world witnessed an act of true collegiality as 2 athletes, Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi, shared the podium for the gold medal in the high jump at the 2020 summer Olympic games. When the 2 longtime friends and rivals reached the limit of their performance at the same height, an official proposed a jump-off to break the tie. Barshim asked if 2 gold medals were an option and the official promptly replied, “It’s possible, yes.” Tamberi immediately agreed to a tie. The act reflects the spirit of Olympism—the “philosophy of life” that celebrates “the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility, and respect for fundamental ethical principles.” In keeping with this philosophy, the Olympics can readily accommodate athletes’ desires to share recognition for their achievements. We believe a similar philosophy can apply to academia, in that guidelines for authors can be designed to accommodate requests to honor shared efforts and contributions to scholarship."