Authorship and Acknowledgement Policies
Research Resource Identifiers:
Many MSU Core Facilities use Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs). RRIDs are unique, searchable identifiers that help researchers properly cite the
facilities, services, and instruments used in their work. Including RRIDs in publications
improves transparency and reproducibility while helping track the scientific impact
of shared research resources. Please reference RRIDs in publications and proposals.
MSU Core Facility RRIDs:
Bioinformatics Core — RRID:SCR_026706
Center for Advanced Microscopy — RRID:SCR_027702
Cryo-EM Core Facility — RRID:SCR_028499
Flow Cytometry Core Facility — RRID:SCR_026903
Genomics Core — RRID:SCR_012406
Mass Spectrometry & Metabolomics Core — RRID:SCR_028052
Transgenic & Genome Editing Facility — RRID:SCR_028154
Proteomics Core — RRID:SCR_028467
Acknowledging a Core Facility:
We appreciate your use of MSU Core Facilities. When publishing research supported
by a Core, please acknowledge the facility and any relevant instrumentation or services
used. Proper acknowledgment helps demonstrate the impact of these resources and supports
ongoing funding.
When preparing the Acknowledgments section, please include:
- Core Facility name(s)
Include the full name of each Core Facility used in your research and associated RRID. - Contribution of the Core
Briefly describe how the Core and its personnel contributed (e.g., data acquisition, method development, analysis). - Supporting resources or funding
Include any relevant centers, departments, or equipment grants that supported access to the Core.
Suggested verbiage for publications: “The data presented herein were acquired using instrumentation in the X Core Facility
(RRID:SCR_0XXXXX), supported by Michigan State University’s Office of Research & Innovation.”
Authorship Guidelines:
Our Core Facilities follow authorship best practices aligned with recommendations
from the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF).
Core Facility staff are scientists and valued collaborators who play an important
role in the design, execution, and interpretation of research. Please consider including
Core Facility staff as manuscript co-authors when they have made a meaningful intellectual contribution to the work. This may include:
- Contributing to experimental design or study approach
- Developing or adapting methods
- Providing substantial data analysis or interpretation beyond standard outputs
- Contributing to manuscript writing or revision
- Developing custom analysis tools, workflows, or pipelines
If you’re unsure whether authorship is appropriate, it’s best to discuss expectations
with Core staff early in the project