Authorship and Contributorship Policy

Authorship Criteria

To qualify as an author, an individual must meet all four of the following criteria:

• Make a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data,
• Draft the manuscript or critically revise it for important intellectual content,
• Approve the final version to be published,
• Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to contribute to the appropriate investigation and resolution of any questions related to its accuracy or integrity.

Types of Contribution

Individuals contributing to a study may be identified under the following categories:

• Author: An individual who meets all ICMJE authorship criteria and accepts responsibility for the published content.
• Byline Author: An author whose name appears in the article’s author byline.
• Group Author: A group collectively identified as the author of an article published on behalf of an institution, consortium, or research network.
• Collaborator: An individual who does not meet all authorship criteria but has made an institutional, scientific, or technical contribution to the research.
• Other Contributors: Individuals providing technical support, statistical consultation, visual design, language editing, or similar contributions without assuming authorship responsibility.

Individuals who meet all authorship criteria should be included in the author byline. Those who do not meet the criteria should be identified in a manner appropriate to their contribution.

Statements and Declarations

At submission, the following documents and declarations may be required in accordance with the policy of the relevant journal:

• Authorship and Contributorship Statement,
• Copyright Transfer Form, License to Publish, or an equivalent agreement used by the relevant journal,
• Conflict of Interest Declaration,
• Funding Statement,
• Permission from individuals named in the acknowledgements.

The order of authorship should be determined by mutual agreement among all authors and finalized before submission.

Requests to add or remove an author or to change the author order after submission must be submitted to the editorial office together with an explanation. Such changes may be accepted only with the written approval of all authors and following editorial evaluation by the relevant journal.

Corresponding Author

One or more corresponding authors may be designated in accordance with the policy of the relevant journal.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

• Managing editorial communication throughout submission, peer review, revision, and publication,
• Ensuring that all required documents and declarations are submitted,
• Confirming that all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript,
• Clearly identifying the roles of contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria,
• Obtaining permission from individuals whose names appear in the acknowledgements.

The editorial office may contact other authors directly where necessary.

Authorship Disputes

Authorship disputes are expected to be resolved in good faith among the authors and, where appropriate, through their affiliated institutions.

Where a dispute remains unresolved, the matter may be submitted in writing to the editorial office of the relevant journal. Editors are not required to act as adjudicators or mediators in authorship disputes. Where necessary, the parties may be advised to seek resolution through the appropriate offices of their institutions.

Such matters are evaluated in accordance with COPE guidance and the publication policies of the relevant journal.

Further information on authorship, contributorship, licensing, and conflicts of interest is provided in the publication policies and author guidelines available on the website of the relevant journal.