Authorship and Contributions Policy

Authorship requires all four ICMJE criteria: substantial contribution to conception or design, or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data; drafting or critical revision for important intellectual content; approval of the version to be published; and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Everyone listed must meet all four criteria.

Contributions and acknowledgments

Authors should describe each person’s contribution, using CRediT terms where appropriate. A guarantor may accept overall responsibility. Contributors who do not meet the criteria should be named in acknowledgments with permission. All authors are publicly responsible for their contribution and must approve the final manuscript.

Changes to authorship

A request to add, remove or reorder authors after submission must be explained in writing to the Editorial Office. Provide the reason and written agreement of all listed authors and anyone being added or removed. The editor considers the request before accepting it; unresolved disputes should be referred to the authors’ institutions. After publication, any byline change requires an appropriate public notice.