Authorship Rules and Regulations

IJMCRH strictly follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for defining authorship, ensuring that credit is assigned fairly and that all listed authors are accountable for the work. This policy prevents issues such as ghost authorship (omitting contributors) or guest authorship (including non-contributors for prestige), promoting transparency and equity.

  • Authorship Criteria (All four criteria must be fulfilled for each author):
    1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
    2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
    3. Final approval of the version to be published.
    4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
  • Detailed Rules and Regulations:
    1. Number of Authors: There is no arbitrary limit, but all must meet the criteria. For large collaborative projects (e.g., multi-center trials), justify inclusions in the cover letter; non-qualifying individuals should be listed in the acknowledgments.
    2. Order of Authors: Determined collectively by the authors based on contribution levels; the first author is typically the primary contributor, while the last may be the senior supervisor. The corresponding author (marked with an asterisk) handles all communications and ensures compliance.
    3. Changes to Authorship: Any additions, deletions, or rearrangements after initial submission require written consent from all original and new authors, along with a rationale submitted to the editor for approval. Changes are not permitted post-acceptance without exceptional circumstances.
    4. Group or Collaborative Authorship: For team-based work, list individual contributors followed by the group name (e.g., "A. Rahman, S. Nurhayati, and the IJMCRH Study Group"). Provide a full list of group members in the acknowledgments or supplementary materials.
    5. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools: Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) cannot be listed as an author, as it lacks accountability. Disclose any AI use in the methods section (e.g., for data analysis or drafting assistance) and ensure human authors verify all content.
    6. Acknowledgments Section: Reserved for individuals or entities that contributed but do not meet authorship criteria, such as funders, technical assistants, or language editors. Obtain permission for named acknowledgments.
    7. Author Contributions Statement: Required in the manuscript (e.g., using CRediT taxonomy: "AR: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing - Original Draft; SN: Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Supervision").
    8. Disputes and Resolution: Authorship disputes should be resolved among authors prior to submission. If escalated, the editor will request evidence (e.g., contribution logs) and may involve institutional ethics committees; unresolved disputes can lead to manuscript rejection.
    9. Submission Requirements: At submission, all authors must sign a standardized authorship form (available on the journal website) confirming they meet the criteria, have approved the final version, and declare no undisclosed conflicts.