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We are about to put out a preprint, and can't get in touch with one of the people who contributed to the project. This person put in a lot of work, and really deserves to be an author, but they have quit science and attempts to contact them have failed.

Certainly, we can't list them as an author without their permission. But also it doesn't seem right not to even mention them on the paper.

What should we do?

Neuromath
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  • Perhaps it is just my field, but I would feel fine publishing the preprint without them, it's only when we get to "actual" publication that it gets more complex. – Azor Ahai -him- Oct 22 '21 at 17:07
  • @AzorAhai-him-, given my (seemingly "radical") ideas about what "publication" means (math, in the U.S.), I'd not want to put on-line (literally, "publish") a preprint without a co-worker/co-author's name on it... because lots of people would see it, and reach conclusions about who did the work, etc. (Perhaps more people than would see a "peer-reviewed publication", in math, currently.) But the inaccessible co-author is a tough call... – paul garrett Oct 22 '21 at 17:52
  • @paulgarrett Well I'm not in math, so that's why I said "Perhaps it is just my field" – Azor Ahai -him- Oct 22 '21 at 19:29

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Conceivably, the abstract and/or first lines of the paper, perhaps parenthetically, could mention the work of your ex-co-worker X, both mentioning that they'd contributed substantially, but could not be reached, so are not responsible for any errors or misrepresentations in the paper, but do deserve credit for the positives.

This does not do any sort of standard "credit for (co-) authorship" thing, while it does "give credit" in a direct sense. Since, apparently, your ex-co-author is not worried about status points in academe, the lack of official status point garnering won't matter. The moral/ethical obligation of giving credit (without laying blame!) is still accomplished, I think.

paul garrett
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