Authorship

  • Each author is expected to have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the creation of new software used in the work; or have drafted the work or substantively revised it.
  • AND to have approved the submitted version.
  • AND to have agreed both to be personally accountable for the author's own contributions and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved.
  • Submission of the manuscript to the publisher means that all listed authors agreed with the content of the manuscript, including the list of authors and statements of contributions of authors. The Corresponding Author is responsible for ensuring that this agreement is reached, that all authors agree to be included in this list and approve the submission of the manuscript, and for managing all correspondence between the publisher and all coauthors before and after publication. The corresponding author is also responsible for submitting a competing interests' statement.
  • After acceptance, the corresponding author is responsible for the accuracy of all content in the proof, including the names of co-authors, addresses and affiliations.
  • After publication, the corresponding author is the point of contact for queries about the published monograph. It is their responsibility to inform all co-authors of any matters arising in relation to the published monograph and to ensure such matters are dealt with promptly. Authors of published materials are obliged to immediately inform the publisher when they become aware of any aspects requiring correction.
  • Any changes to the author list after submission, such as a change in the order of the authors or the deletion or addition of authors, must be approved by every author. Publishing editors cannot investigate or resolve authorship disputes before or after publication. Such disagreements, if they cannot be resolved amongst authors, should be directed to the relevant institutional authority.
  • When submitting the manuscript, the correspondent author must provide the necessary documents.

GHOST AUTHORS, GUEST AUTHORS, AND GIFT AUTHORS

  • A ghost author is one who is excluded from the list of authors, despite having the right to authorship.
  • A guest or gift author is one who is credited as the author, even though he has no attribution.

Doubts about the reality of the authorship of scientists may arise in the following cases:

Based on COPE scheme «How to recognise potential authorship problems»:

  • corresponding author cannot respond to the comments of reviewers;
  • changes were made by someone not on the list of authors;
  • an unreasonable large number of chapters (for example, review or analytical) from one author;
  • the role is not on the list of contributors (for example, it appears that none of the named authors was responsible for analyzing the data or drafting the monograph);
  • an unreasonably long or short list of authors (for example, a simple report with a dozen authors or a randomized trial with one author);
  • industry-funded research with no authors from the sponsoring company.

Necessary measures (measures can be taken only by general agreement with the author's team of the manuscript):

All editorial actions will be performed according to the COPE scheme «How to recognise potential authorship problems»:

  • If a ghost author is identified, he must be added to the list of authors.
  • If a guest author or a gift author is identified, it will need to be removed from the author and, if necessary, moved to the Acknowledgments section.
  • Changing the list of authors during the review of the article and after publication:
  • All policies are based on COPE principles:
  • The list of authors can be changed only if there is sufficient justification.
  • The list of authors can be changed only upon receipt of an e-mail from all authors of the article, including the author who will be added or removed, and in the presence of a license agreement signed by the new authors' collective.
  • If the authors interpret the rationale for the change in the team of authors differently, the author (s) will be invited to state their views in a letter and explain. All letters will be published in the public domain if their length is satisfactory and they are not defamatory. The decision to make corrections will be based on the justifications received.

Changing the list of authors during the review of the article and after publication:

All policies are based on COPE principles:

  • The list of authors can be changed only if there is sufficient justification.
  • The list of authors can be changed only upon receipt of an e-mail from all authors of the article, including the author who will be added or removed, and in the presence of a license agreement signed by the new authors' collective.
  • If the authors interpret the rationale for the change in the team of authors differently, the author (s) will be invited to state their views in a letter and explain. All letters will be published in the public domain if their length is satisfactory and they are not defamatory. The decision to make corrections will be based on the justifications received.