Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be limited to those who have contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made substantial contributions should be listed as co-authors.

Individuals who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the paper (e.g., language editing or medical writing) should be recognized in the acknowledgments section.

The lead author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Types Of Authorship

Co-Author - A person who has contributed significantly to a journal article, sharing responsibility and accountability for the research results.

Corresponding Author - When multiple authors contribute to an article, one person is designated as the corresponding author. This individual handles all correspondence related to the article and signs the publishing agreement on behalf of all authors. They are responsible for ensuring that all authors' contact details are accurate, agreeing on the order of their names in the article, and verifying the correctness of affiliations.

As a Co-Author:

  • Has contributed significantly to the reported work, whether in conception, study, design, execution, data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation or across all these areas.
  • Drafted or wrote the article or substantially revised or critically reviewed it.
  • Agreed on the journal to which the article will be submitted.
  • Reviewed and agreed on all versions of the article before submission, during revision, the final version accepted for publication, and any significant changes made during the proofing stage.
  • Agree to take responsibility and be accountable for the article's content, sharing the responsibility to resolve any questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of the published work.

In case of exceptional circumstances, the following do not qualify for authorship:

  • A statistician who helped you use the software package—but did not shape your choice on which analyses to conduct or help you interpret the output
  • The lab technician who helped you collect the data
  • A supervisor who has not contributed to this paper
  • A person who manages the research groups in which you belong, but has not contributed to your research specifically
  • The people who sent you the data—data they had collected many years ago for another purpose

The order of authors should reflect each contributor's relative contribution to the study and the manuscript.

 

Affiliation

  • Authors must list all relevant affiliations where the research was approved, supported, and conducted, including your current affiliation.
  • If you move to a different institution before publication, list the affiliation where the work was completed.
  • If you do not have a current relevant institutional affiliation, state your independent status.

 

References:

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors.

The embassy of good science. Authorship criteria. https://embassy.science/wiki/Theme:Cbe88760-
7f0e-4d6d-952b-b724bb0f375e