Authorship must be a truthful reflection of substantial intellectual contribution, as defined by the ICMJE criteria.

Authorship Requirements

Each listed author must satisfy all four of the following conditions:

Substantial Contribution

Conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.

Critical Intellectual Engagement

Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Final Approval

Approval of the final version to be published.

Accountability

Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Unacceptable Authorship Practices

Ghost Authorship

The omission of individuals who made significant contributions to the research or writing, which obscures true accountability.

Guest Authorship

The inclusion of individuals based solely on their seniority, position, or influence, despite a lack of meaningful intellectual contribution.

Honorary Authorship

Awarding authorship to individuals to enhance the perceived credibility or prestige of the work, rather than based on their scholarly input.

Protocol for Authorship Changes

Requests for changes to the author list (additions, removals, reordering) after initial submission are scrutinized heavily. They require:

  • Unanimous Written Consent: A signed statement or email from every author named in the original and proposed new list, explicitly agreeing to the change.
  • Compelling Justification: A detailed, credible explanation for the requested change (e.g., an oversight in initial attribution, a re-evaluation of contributions).
  • Corresponding Author Validation: The corresponding author must initiate the request and attest to its validity and the agreement of all co-authors.