Winner Takes All; August 2012; Scientific American Magazine; by Arturo Casadevall, Ferric C. Fang; 1 Page(s)

When Isaac Newton developed calculus and his theory of gravity, he reaped a reward far greater than stock options in a start-up or a big year-end bonus. He got credit for his work and recognition among his peersand eventually the wider world. Since Newton, science has changed a great deal, but this basic fact has not. Credit for work done is still the currency of science.

How should credit for scientific work be assigned? The question has tremendous implications for how science is done and what society gets from its investment. Since the earliest days of science, bragging rights to a discovery have gone to the person who first reports it. This priority rule has led to some colorful disputesNewton famously got into a tussle with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who wanted credit for inventing calculusbut by and large, the rule has worked well. In recent years, however, intense competition among scientists has led to difficulties, and we have begun to wonder if there isn't a better way.