Proper acknowledgement provides a visible measure of the impact and success of the facility and helps us to secure support and funding.

Imaging core facilities such as the Micron Bioimaging Facility provide the research community with access to state-of-the-art imaging technology and expertise. We recognise the importance of acknowledging the contributions of Imaging Scientists in core facilities not only for their career development but also as a real measure of impact, which helps to secure funding to ensure the sustainability of the facility. Facility staff are highly skilled scientists who contribute technically and intellectually to research projects. It is therefore important to acknowledge them properly in publications and presentations.

We therefore request that all users of the facility recognise its contribution to manuscripts in one of the following ways. 

All publications resulting from the use of instruments within the facility should, at the very least, acknowledge the Micron Bioimaging Facility as a whole, e.g. ‘the authors gratefully acknowledge the Micron Advanced Bioimaging Facility (supported by Wellcome Strategic Awards 091911/B/10/Z and 107457/Z/15/Z) for their support & assistance in this work’. 

Where users have had significant help from a particular member of Micron staff, or Micron staff have generated additional data personally, this staff member should be acknowledged by name, e.g., ‘the authors thank *** of Micron Bioimaging Facility for their support & assistance in this work’. 

If scientists from Micron contributed more than just routine techniques, they should be co-authors of papers that use data. e.g., Development or adaptation of protocols to suit samples or materials, (re)designing experiments, extensive data analysis and interpretation are not routine and constitute contributions meriting co-authorship. Co-authorship also helps avoid the risk of data misinterpretation and helps to ensure the data is accurately conveyed and described.

We also politely request that you remember to acknowledge use of Micron facilities in your presentations and cite Micron in grants, as appropriate. 

Our publication and acknowledgement policy is built upon the RMS publication policy created by Dr Natasha Stephen, Director of Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre.