Authorship Policy for International Medical Journal of Health (IMJH)
ICMJE Authorship Criteria
IMJH follows International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship.
Policy Navigation
1. Authorship Criteria
ICMJE Four Criteria
All authors must meet ALL FOUR ICMJE criteria for authorship.
1. Substantial Contributions
- Conception or design of work
- Acquisition, analysis, interpretation of data
- Drafting or revising work critically
2. Final Approval
- Final approval of version to be published
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects
3. Accountability
- Accountable for accuracy and integrity
- Willing to investigate/resolve issues
4. Agreement to Publish
- Agreement to submission
- Agreement to publication
2. Author Contributions
| Contribution Role | Description | CRediT Taxonomy Code |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptualization | Ideas, formulation of research goals | CRediT: Conceptualization |
| Methodology | Development of methodology | CRediT: Methodology |
| Investigation | Conducting research investigation | CRediT: Investigation |
| Writing | Preparation, creation of manuscript | CRediT: Writing - Original Draft |
| Review & Editing | Critical review, commentary, revision | CRediT: Writing - Review & Editing |
Non-Author Contributions
Individuals who do not meet all authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section (e.g., technical help, writing assistance, departmental chair).
3. Author Order
Determining Author Order
Standard Conventions:
- First author: Made largest contribution
- Last author: Senior/responsible author
- Middle authors: By contribution level
- Corresponding author: Marked with asterisk
Requirements:
- All authors must agree to order
- Order should reflect contribution
- Changes require unanimous consent
- Document agreement during submission
Author Agreement: All authors must agree to the author order before submission. Disputes about author order should be resolved among authors before submission.
4. Corresponding Author Responsibilities
Primary Responsibilities
- Manuscript submission
- Communication with journal
- Managing revision process
- Coordinating author approvals
- Proof approval
- Post-publication correspondence
Additional Duties
- Ensure all authors meet criteria
- Maintain author agreement records
- Handle copyright matters
- Manage fee payments if applicable
- Respond to reader inquiries
- Address post-publication issues
Corresponding Author Eligibility
The corresponding author must be reachable throughout the publication process and for at least 3 years post-publication. They are responsible for ensuring all authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
5. Authorship Changes
| Change Type | When Permitted | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Addition of Author | Before acceptance | Consent from all authors, justification, CRediT statement |
| Removal of Author | Before acceptance | Consent from author being removed, written request |
| Order Change | Before acceptance | Unanimous consent from all authors |
| Corresponding Author Change | Any time with justification | Consent from new and old corresponding authors |
| Post-publication Changes | Exceptional circumstances only | Editorial approval, correction notice |
6. Authorship Misconduct
Prohibited Practices
- Ghost Authorship: Unacknowledged contributors
- Gift Authorship: Authorship without contribution
- Guest Authorship: Prestigious names added
- Coercive Authorship: Forced inclusion
- Denied Authorship: Excluding contributors
- Authorship Trading: Reciprocal inclusion
Consequences
- Manuscript rejection
- Article retraction
- Author sanctions
- Institutional notification
- Public notice of misconduct
- Ban from future submissions
Policy Enforcement
IMJH follows COPE guidelines for authorship disputes. All allegations of authorship misconduct are investigated thoroughly. Authors must declare during submission that all authorship criteria are met and that no misconduct has occurred.
Policy Summary
Key Authorship Requirements:
- ✓ All four ICMJE criteria must be met
- ✓ CRediT taxonomy for contributions
- ✓ Author order by contribution level
- ✓ Corresponding author responsibilities
- ✓ No authorship misconduct tolerated
- ✓ Changes require unanimous consent