Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; and the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript. Each author must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for the integrity of the work.

Individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria but have provided technical, administrative, financial, language-editing, or other support should be acknowledged appropriately. Gift authorship, ghost authorship, and the inclusion of authors who have not made a substantial contribution are unacceptable.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors meet these criteria, that the order of authors has been agreed upon, and that no qualified contributor has been omitted.