Authorship Criteria
A scientific paper's authors should be listed to guarantee that the right people receive credit for the research and are held accountable. The best definition of the author is someone who has contributed significantly to the work. All persons are named as authors should be qualified for authorship and all be listed on the scientific paper. International Council of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE) has put a suitable authorship criterion.
To receive author credit, a person must fulfill all four requirements:
- Significant contribution in design of the study as well as the collection, analysis, and explanation of results.
- Writing or editing the paper to improve its scientific quality.
- Acceptance of the final draft.
- An understanding that author will be responsible for any aspects of the study that have to do with its correctness or integrity.
The following are some broad principles that could change depending on the field:
1- "A collective decision of the coauthors" should determine the order of authorship.
- Participants in a study who do not meet the requirements of the journal for authorship should be labeled as "Contributors" or "Acknowledged Persons."
- For big, multi-center trials, the list of physicians and hospitals is often made public along with a description of each participant's specific contributions.
The following three forms of authorship are deemed unacceptable:
1- Authors, who significantly participate but are not recognized as being important (often sponsored by commercial sponsors).
2- Authors who don't contribute much but are featured to boost their chances of being published.
3- Authors whose contribution is only supported by a weak connection to a study.
