Authorship Criteria
Authorship Criteria
Who qualifies as an author
Sophist follows the authorship recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the guidance of COPE. Authorship gives credit for the work and carries responsibility for its content.
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4
Criteria every author must meet
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1
Corresponding author per manuscript
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CRediT
Taxonomy for contributor roles
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ORCID
Recommended for every author
The Four Criteria
Every person listed as an author must meet all four criteria below.
1 Substantial contribution
Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the collection, analysis or interpretation of data or sources.
2 Drafting or revising
Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3 Final approval
Approval of the final version to be published.
4 Accountability
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions about its accuracy or integrity are investigated and resolved.
Corresponding Author
- Handles all communication with the journal during submission, review and publication.
- Ensures that all co-authors are listed, meet the criteria above and approve the submission.
- Confirms the order of authors, agreed by all authors before submission.
- Discloses funding and conflicts of interest on behalf of all authors.
Contributors and Acknowledgements
People who contributed but do not meet all four criteria, such as those who provided technical help, language editing, general supervision or funding, are listed in the Acknowledgements section, not as authors. Authors are encouraged to describe each author's role using the CRediT taxonomy.
What Is Not Allowed
Ghost authorship Leaving out a person who meets the authorship criteria.
Gift authorship Listing a person who did not contribute, for example because of position or seniority.
AI tools AI tools cannot be listed as authors. See the AI Tool Policy.
Changes Adding, removing or reordering authors after submission requires a written request from the corresponding author with the signed agreement of all authors, and is approved by the editor. No changes are made after acceptance except in exceptional cases.
