Authors must submit a title page with the title of the work and all authors' names, affiliations, and full contact information. Journal staff usually interact only with the corresponding author, who is expected to submit the manuscript, address reviewer comments, submit revisions, work with page proofs, and respond to any inquiries from readers.
1(p52) For journals that use a single-blinded peer review process, this information is available to peer reviewers in case there are any conflicts of interest. For example, the oversight editor may not want to assign a peer reviewer who is at the same school or hospital as an author. If an author has changed affiliation since the completion of the work, the new affiliation should be indicated as well. The total word count should also be included.
In the past, the head of a laboratory or research group would be listed as an author on a manuscript regardless of level of participation.
1(p45) This practice is no longer acceptable, as many scientific journals' requirements are now in accordance with ICMJE guidelines,
6 which state that all authors must meet the following criteria:
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Substantial contributions to conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for the work
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Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content
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Final approval of the version to be published
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Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved
Many scientific journals request that all authors sign and submit an authorship form. Authors must agree on a corresponding author who will be the point of contact with the editorial office during the submission, review, and editing processes. The sequence of the authors listed should be decided unanimously, and authors' names should be presented according to importance to the research.
1(p47) Other manuscript contributors who do not meet the ICMJE author criteria may be acknowledged for their work (eg, data collection, research assistance, writing assistance).
5(p140) Many journals require written consent before publication from these individuals to have their name appear in the acknowledgement section.
Each author should disclose relevant financial relationships (eg, employment, funding, or stock ownership with the manufacturer of the product studied) and conflicts of interest (eg, any nonfinancial affiliation with a group that may benefit from the study, such as serving on a formulary committee or personal relationships with other people or organizations that could bias their actions) in accordance with the journal's policy.
5(p171) If authors do not have potential conflicts to disclose, they should make a statement to that effect on the title page or in the acknowledgment section. If authors are uncertain about potential conflicts, they should contact the journal's editorial office. Some journals may require authors to submit the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest (
http://www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf).
As scientific journals and other entities have fought nondisclosure among researchers, scientists, authors, and other types of contributors over the years, progressively stringent disclosure requirements have been implemented. The Sunshine Act
7 is one of the latest rules enacted to enforce full financial disclosures. According to the act, anyone receiving a single payment of at least $10 or an annual cumulative payment of at least $100 will be listed in a federal database. Disclosing this type of information in a manuscript does not mean the work should not be published, but failure to disclose this information can lead to publication of a correction or retraction.