NMIP

Global Land Nitrogen Budget (N) – Model Intercomparison Project (MIP)

NMIP Data Use, Publication, and Authorship Policies
1. Purpose

The Nitrogen Model Intercomparison Project (NMIP) is an international collaborative effort to improve our understanding of the global nitrogen cycle and its nexus with carbon, food, water, and air through coordinated model simulations, harmonized datasets, and community synthesis. This policy promotes open scientific collaboration while ensuring appropriate recognition of the contributions made by participating modeling teams and the NMIP coordination team.

2. Data Ownership and Access
  • Individual modeling teams retain ownership of their model codes and original simulation outputs.
  • NMIP participants grant permission for submitted model outputs to be used in NMIP-approved synthesis activities.
  • NMIP ensemble products, harmonized datasets (e.g., HaNi), benchmark datasets, and derived products are coordinated by the NMIP leadership team.
  • Researchers interested in using NMIP products should contact the NMIP Coordinator before initiating analyses or manuscript preparation.
3. Publication Coordination

NMIP encourages open and transparent communication regarding planned publications.

For manuscripts using NMIP ensemble products or outputs from multiple NMIP models, authors should notify the NMIP community at least six weeks before submission, and preferably much earlier. This allows participating modeling teams and NMIP core members to identify potential overlap, contribute scientifically, and participate as appropriate.

Researchers interested in developing publications using NMIP products are encouraged to contact Dr. Hanqin Tian, NMIP Coordinator and Lead (hanqin.tian@bc.edu), at an early stage to discuss data use, collaboration, and potential co-authorship.

4. Authorship Principles

NMIP follows internationally accepted authorship standards.

All co-authors should make substantial intellectual contributions consistent with the CRediT Taxonomy, normally contributing to at least two recognized contributor roles (https://credit.niso.org/).

4.1 NMIP-Centered Publications

NMIP-centered publications are those directly based on NMIP model outputs and associated NMIP datasets, such as HaNi. Examples include Gong et al. (2024), Nature, and Li et al. (2024), Global Change Biology.

For these publications:

  • Each participating modeling team whose outputs are used may nominate up to two co-authors, provided they satisfy the authorship criteria, i.e., contributing to at least two recognized contributor roles (https://credit.niso.org/).
  • Core NMIP members who coordinated, designed, managed, benchmarked, and enabled the implementation and operation of NMIP should be recognized as co-authors or acknowledged, depending on the extent of their intellectual contributions.
  • The NMIP leadership team will coordinate manuscript preparation and authorship.

4.2 Global N₂O Budget Publications

NMIP participants are encouraged to contribute to Global N₂O Budget synthesis papers (e.g., Tian et al. 2020, Nature; Tian et al. 2024, Earth System Science Data):

  • We invite one author for each individual contribution that is part of the budget.
  • An individual contribution includes a database, output from a model, a synthesis dataset, and anything else needed to develop the budget, including data analysis and interpretation.
  • There are datasets that are publicly available and would normally only need to be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section. However, when a dataset contributes meaningfully to a section of the manuscript, we also invite one scientist representing the dataset, as agreed upon by the contributing team.
  • Many datasets, models, and other contributions have many people supporting them, but not necessarily making a purposeful effort for the paper. This could lead to a paper with many hundreds of co-authors, which would be difficult to manage and would not fairly recognize those who purposefully invested in making this high-level synthesis possible. Therefore, the one-person-per-contribution rule generally applies.
  • Contributions and models supported by multi-person teams may rotate their designated co-author in future updates or papers, as the Global N₂O Budget is expected to continue in a living-review format with successive updates.
  • Some efforts may have been specifically designed to support the budget synthesis, may have involved more than one person, and may not have been published elsewhere. In such cases, please add the individuals and their specific contributions to the spreadsheet and contact the lead author, Hanqin Tian (hanqin.tian@bc.edu), so that the circumstances can be reviewed and transparently justified to the authorship group.
  • These guidelines are intended as general principles rather than inflexible rules. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis and should be transparently justified.
5. Independent Publications

Participating modeling teams are encouraged to publish analyses based primarily on their own model outputs.

However, publications using NMIP ensemble products, outputs from multiple participating models, benchmark datasets, or harmonized NMIP products should be discussed with the NMIP Coordinator before manuscript preparation to avoid duplication, promote collaboration, and ensure appropriate recognition of contributors.

6. Citation and Acknowledgment

All publications using NMIP data should appropriately cite:

  • NMIP protocol papers (e.g., Tian et al. 2018);
  • NMIP synthesis papers (e.g., Tian et al. 2024, Earth System Science Data);
  • NMIP data papers, such as the HaNi dataset paper (e.g., Tian et al. 2022);
  • relevant model description papers; and
  • other contributing datasets, where appropriate.

Publications should acknowledge the Nitrogen Model Intercomparison Project (NMIP) and participating modeling teams.

7. Conflict Resolution

Questions regarding data use, publication priority, or authorship should first be discussed with the NMIP Coordinator. If necessary, the NMIP leadership team will review the issue and recommend an appropriate resolution.

8. Policy Updates

These guidelines are intended as general principles rather than inflexible rules. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis and should be transparently justified. This policy may be updated periodically by the NMIP leadership team as the project evolves.

References

Gong, C., H. Tian, H. Liao, N. Pan, S. Pan, A. Ito, A. K. Jain, S. Kou-Giesbrecht, F. Joos, Q. Sun, H. Shi, N. Vuichard, Q. Zhu, C. Peng, F. Maggi, F. H. M. Tang, and S. Zaehle. (2024). Global net climate effects of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen. Nature, 632(8025), 557–563. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07714-4.

Li, L., C. Lu, W. Winiwarter, H. Tian, J. G. Canadell, A. Ito, A. K. Jain, S. Kou-Giesbrecht, S. Pan, N. Pan, H. Shi, Q. Sun, N. Vuichard, S. Ye, S. Zaehle, and Q. Zhu. (2024). Enhanced nitrous oxide emission factors due to climate change increase the mitigation challenge in the agricultural sector. Global Change Biology, 30(8), e17472. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17472.

Tian, H., J. Yang, C. Lu, R. Xu, J. G. Canadell, R. B. Jackson, A. Arneth, J. Chang, G. Chen, P. Ciais, S. Gerber, A. Ito, Y. Huang, F. Joos, S. Lienert, P. Messina, S. Olin, S. Pan, C. Peng, E. Saikawa, R. L. Thompson, N. Vuichard, W. Winiwarter, S. Zaehle, B. Zhang, K. Zhang, and Q. Zhu. (2018). The Global N₂O Model Intercomparison Project. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 99(6), 1231–1251. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0212.1.

Tian, H., Z. Bian, H. Shi, X. Qin, N. Pan, C. Lu, S. Pan, F. N. Tubiello, J. Chang, and G. Conchedda. (2022). History of anthropogenic nitrogen inputs (HaNi) to the terrestrial biosphere: A 5-arcmin resolution annual dataset from 1860 to 2019. Earth System Science Data, 14(10), 4551–4568. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4551-2022.

Tian, H., N. Pan, R. L. Thompson, J. G. Canadell, P. Suntharalingam, P. Regnier, E. A. Davidson, M. Prather, P. Ciais, M. Muntean, S. Pan, W. Winiwarter, S. Zaehle, F. Zhou, R. B. Jackson, H. W. Bange, S. Berthet, Z. Bian, D. Bianchi, A. F. Bouwman, E. T. Buitenhuis, G. Dutton, M. Hu, A. Ito, A. K. Jain, A. J. Thommes, F. Joos, S. Kou-Giesbrecht, P. B. Krummel, X. Lan, A. Landolfi, R. Lauerwald, Y. Li, C. Lu, T. Maavara, M. Manizza, D. B. Millet, J. Muhle, P. K. Patra, G. P. Peters, X. Qin, P. Raymond, L. Resplandy, A. J. Rosentreter, H. Shi, Q. Sun, D. Tonina, F. N. Tubiello, G. R. van der Werf, N. Vuichard, J. Wang, K. C. Wells, L. M. Western, C. Wilson, J. Yang, Y. Yao, Y. You, and Q. Zhu. (2024). Global nitrous oxide budget (1980–2020). Earth System Science Data, 16(6), 2543–2604. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2543-2024.