contrib-type Type of Contribution

Type of contribution made by the individual (for example, “author”, “editor”, “translator”, “research-assistant”).

Usage/Remarks

The @contrib-type attribute was designed to name the role of the contributor in relationship to the article. Values are typically natural language words such as such as “author”, “editor”, “deep sea diver”, or terms also used for the @person-group-type attribute (“assignee”, “compiler”, “director”, etc.).
For most organizations, this attribute may contain any text as its value; for some organizations, @contrib-type is a machine-actionable value, from a controlled list.

Multiple Roles for a Single Contributor

When a contributor has played more than one role is creating an article (for example, both experiment design and copy editing), a single @contrib-type is inadequate. Best practice is not to use the @contrib-type attribute to name the formal contributor role, but instead use the repeatable <role> element.

Semantic Roles Best Practice

When a contributor role is described by a controlled vocabulary, such as the ANSI/NISO Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT), best practice is not to use the @contrib-type attribute to name the formal contributor role. (The attribute may still be useful for grouping.)
Best practice is to use the <role> element inside <contrib> to name a role for each contributor (or inside <contrib-group> for more than one contributor performing the same function). The vocabulary attributes on <role> should then point directly to the appropriate CRediT term, allowing the content of the <role> element to take any useful display value, while still preserving the CRediT semantics.
Unlike the @contrib-type attribute, which identifies a role in relationship to the article, the <role> element can be used either in relationship to the article but also in relationship to broader entities, such as a journal, an organization, an institution, etc. For example, consider the valid role: “<role>conference chair</role>”.
OPTIONAL on element: <contrib>
Value Meaning
Text, numbers, or special characters Word or phrase naming or describing the contribution, such as “author” or “visualization”.
Restriction @contrib-type is an optional attribute; there is no default.
Tagged Samples
Author <contrib>
...
<contrib 
  contrib-type="author" 
  corresp="no" 
  rid="fn1">
 <name>
  <surname>Mullin</surname>
  <given-names>David A.</given-names>
 </name>
</contrib>
...
<author-notes>
 <fn id="fn1"><p>...</p></fn>
</author-notes>
...
With <collab-name>
...
<contrib contrib-type="author">
 <collab-name collab-type="committee">Technical Committee ISO/TC 108,
  Subcommittee SC 2</collab-name>
</contrib>
...