Authorship and contributorship

This policy aims to ensure appropriate recognition of individuals who have made meaningful intellectual contributions to a manuscript, clearly defining their roles and responsibilities in relation to the published work. Contributors are classified either as authors—those meeting all four authorship criteria listed below—or non-author contributors, whose contributions, while valuable, do not fulfill authorship requirements and are instead acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section.

PHEMM adheres to the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), summarized as follows:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; AND
  2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content; AND
  3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The term “substantial contribution” is interpreted broadly to include various types of scholarly contributions, including non-research articles. However, obtaining funding, general supervision, administrative support, or editorial assistance alone does not fulfill authorship criteria and should be acknowledged separately. These criteria ensure that authorship accurately reflects meaningful intellectual participation and accountability for the integrity of the work.

Authors submitting to PHEMM  are required to complete and submit the Declaration of conflict of interest and contribution of the author/authors (Annex 3).

Definitions of Contributor Roles

To promote transparency and proper credit attribution, contributor categories are defined as follows:

  • Contributor: Any individual—author, collaborator, or otherwise acknowledged—who has provided meaningful input to the manuscript.
  • Author: A contributor who meets all ICMJE authorship criteria, thereby assuming public responsibility for significant portions or the entirety of the manuscript.
    • Byline Author: Listed prominently as an author in the manuscript byline.
    • Non-Byline Author: Meets authorship criteria but is listed in the Acknowledgments or Article Information sections rather than in the byline.
    • Group Author: Collective authorship attributed to a formal group (e.g., consortium, research network, expert committee, or multicenter collaboration). The group’s name appears in the byline, with individual members detailed elsewhere in the manuscript.
  • Collaborator: A non-author contributor formally affiliated with a research group or collaboration, who makes significant contributions without meeting full authorship criteria. The group must appear in the byline.
  • Other Contributors: Individuals providing technical support, writing assistance, administrative support, or contributions not meeting authorship criteria. These contributors should be explicitly acknowledged in an “Additional Contributions” or “Acknowledgments” section.

Corresponding Author

Each manuscript must have one designated corresponding author, responsible for all communication with the editorial office during submission, peer review, and publication. This individual serves as the primary contact for editorial decisions, manuscript revisions, and final proof approvals, ensuring compliance with administrative requirements (e.g., completing required forms, disclosures, acknowledgments).

Although only one corresponding author is formally designated to streamline communication, contact details for co-authors may be requested to ensure continuity if needed. The corresponding author must also confirm that contributors not meeting authorship criteria are properly acknowledged, specifying their roles, and have provided written permission to be acknowledged.

Authorship Disputes

In cases of authorship disputes, authors are encouraged to resolve issues amicably and internally first. If disputes persist, authors may contact the editorial office, which will follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines to facilitate resolution.