Beyond the Pen: Rethinking Authorship from the Perspective of Intangible Contributions

Abstract

Aims: The paper tries to rethink and highlight the importance of intangible contributions to authorship, such as idea generation, emotional labor, inspiration, or conceptual input, widening the otherwise narrow traditional boundary that checks authorship in the creative field. Study Design: Qualitative research using in-depth interviews which was thematically analyzed. Place and Duration of Study: Conducted in Jamshedpur (Jharkhand, India) over a three-month period (Approx). Methodology: The study was conducted through in-depth interviews, with 20 participants including authors, researchers, and filmmakers, reached through institutional contacts and LinkedIn. All participants were interviewed via telephone or in a face-to-face manner after ethical clearance. The data collected was manually coded and undergoes thematic analysis and creation of related figures using Adobe InDesign. The qualitative approach was selected to give proper justice to the emotional connotations of creative contribution that might be lost in survey approaches. Results: Analysis of data exposes a major gap in acknowledging intangible authorship contributions. Some participants indicated that emotional and intellectual support actually constitute one of the heaviest forces behind the creative outputs, though they are rarely acknowledged formally. Failing to recognize such support is reinforcing current hierarchies while avoiding true collaborative engagement. Conclusion: Existing authorship models mainly recognize visible contributions: Those less visible yet somehow equally important contributions are neglected. Hence this study argues for the expansion of the concept of authorship to embrace inclusivity within academia and the creative field. Acknowledging emotional and conceptual support implies an ethical consciousness that will facilitate the right attribution of intellectual products.