Authorship is responsibility, not a reward
Authorship recognizes meaningful scholarly work and brings accountability for the publication. It should not be promised in exchange for money, status, access, or a nominal task. Contributors should discuss authorship expectations early and revisit them as the work develops.
Apply relevant criteria
The criteria depend on discipline, journal, and the applicable policy. In medical research, the relevant ICMJE recommendations are commonly considered; other fields may use different standards. Authors should review the target journal’s rules and local institutional requirements rather than relying on a generic checklist alone.
Define contribution and roles
At project start, document the research question, methods, data access, analysis, writing, review, approvals, and project coordination. Clarify who can make decisions, how disagreements will be handled, and what happens if a participant’s contribution changes. A contributor who does not meet authorship criteria may merit acknowledgment only with appropriate consent and disclosure.
Keep research integrity central
Collaborators should agree how data are collected, stored, analyzed, and shared, as well as how ethics approval and consent are handled. Do not fabricate data, invent references, conceal conflicts, manipulate results, or misrepresent a participant’s contribution. Protect unpublished findings and personal or sensitive information.
Decide order transparently
Authorship order conventions vary across disciplines and projects. Discuss the basis for order and corresponding-author responsibilities openly, record decisions, and update them if contributions change. Every author should review and approve the final manuscript and accept applicable accountability.
Use written terms
Before collaborative work begins, confirm roles, scope, deliverables, timelines, confidentiality, intellectual property, expenses, and publication plans in writing. A written agreement does not replace ethics approval or a journal’s authorship policy, but it can reduce misunderstandings.
Collaboration opportunities
An advertised opportunity should state the project, verified eligibility, expected contribution, and terms. If no verified project is open, researchers may register interest. Authorship reflects genuine contribution and applicable criteria; publication decisions belong to independent journals.
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