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Abstract Introduction Scholarly concentration programs are becoming more prevalent in US medical schools, with frequent participation of students in faculty-mentored research. In order to prepare learners for this shift, we created a discussion-based, 1-hour curriculum for medical students. Our objective was to engage students in a discussion of actual scenarios that have caused students concern in our own scholarly concentration program, and to use this discussion as a springboard for presentation of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship. Methods We created a PowerPoint presentation to provide a framework for this discussion, and to present the scenarios. Also, we created tools to evaluate students' understanding of authorship criteria before presentation of the ICMJE criteria, students' retention of this information, and students' intention to initiate authorship conversations with their mentors as a result of the curriculum. Results Our learner satisfaction for the curriculum was high. All students agreed that they had a clear understanding of authorship criteria after the workshop, compared to only 9% prior to the workshop. Eighty-six percent agreed that the scenarios were engaging and provided tools to use their own discussions about authorship, while 82% of students felt that the workshop prepared them to approach their own mentor about authorship, and 73% reported that they were more likely to initiate a conversation about authorship because of the workshop. Several weeks after the workshop, 61% of students had discussed authorship with their mentor and 25% were planning to have a discussion. Discussion These responses are very significant, as the confidence to navigate an oftentimes stressful topic is critical to empowering students to act in a professional and ethical manner.