Authorship Policy
The Gazette of Medical Sciences (The GMS) recognizes authorship as both acknowledgment of a substantial scholarly contribution and acceptance of responsibility for the integrity of published work. This policy is informed by the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and applies to manuscripts submitted to the journal.
Criteria for Authorship
To qualify as an author, an individual must meet all four of the following criteria:
- Make a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data or other scholarly material.
- Participate in drafting the manuscript or critically reviewing it for important intellectual content.
- Approve the final version intended for publication.
- Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to cooperate in resolving questions concerning its accuracy or integrity.
All individuals who meet these criteria should be identified as authors. Contributors who do not meet all four criteria should be appropriately acknowledged. Individuals making substantive contributions should be given a fair opportunity to participate in manuscript drafting, critical review and final approval.
Responsibilities of Authors
All listed authors must approve the manuscript and agree to its submission to The GMS. Authors share responsibility for the integrity of the published work and must be able to identify their own contributions and the contributions of their co-authors.
Authors must ensure that the manuscript accurately represents the underlying research, observations, interpretations and cited sources. They must disclose relevant competing interests, provide required ethical information and cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification or supporting documentation.
Corresponding Author
The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between The GMS and the author group during submission, peer review, publication and post-publication correspondence. The corresponding author is responsible for:
- Confirming that all listed authors have approved the manuscript, author order and submission.
- Coordinating communication with co-authors and responding to editorial queries in a timely manner.
- Providing the cover letter and ensuring that required authorship, affiliation, ethics, funding and conflict-of-interest information is supplied.
- Checking publication proofs, including author names, affiliations and manuscript content, in consultation with co-authors.
- Communicating significant post-publication concerns to co-authors and assisting the journal in resolving them.
These responsibilities do not diminish the accountability of other authors for their own contributions and the integrity of the work.
Author Contributions
The GMS encourages manuscripts to include an author contribution statement explaining the roles performed by individual authors. Where appropriate, authors may use the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), including roles such as conceptualization, methodology, investigation, formal analysis, data curation, writing, supervision and project administration.
A contribution statement provides transparency but does not replace the journal's authorship criteria.
Acknowledgment of Non-Author Contributions
Individuals whose contributions do not meet all authorship criteria should not be listed as authors solely on the basis of funding acquisition, administrative support, general supervision, language editing, technical editing, proofreading or writing assistance.
Such contributions may be recognized in an acknowledgments section that describes the nature of the assistance. Authors should obtain permission from individuals named in acknowledgments.
Manuscript Development and Editorial Assistance
Authors may receive assistance with organizing, drafting, editing or presenting scholarly material, including through optional manuscript development services. Such assistance does not by itself establish authorship. The named authors must verify the manuscript's substantive content, references, interpretations and conclusions, and must approve the final submission.
Professional writing or manuscript development assistance should be disclosed or acknowledged as appropriate. Purchasing manuscript development assistance from The GMS does not guarantee acceptance or publication and must not influence independent editorial assessment or peer-review decisions.
Previously Published and Unpublished Material
Authors must clearly identify material that has appeared previously elsewhere, including figures, tables, illustrations or substantial extracts, and must obtain any permissions required for its reuse. The corresponding author is responsible for providing relevant permission documentation when requested.
Where a manuscript refers to unpublished work, personal communications or other material not publicly accessible, authors must obtain appropriate permission from the individuals concerned when required and accurately describe the status of that material.
Research Materials, Data and Reproducibility
Authors are responsible for ensuring that data, materials, code and other supporting information are accurately described and reported in a manner consistent with the methods and standards of their discipline.
Where appropriate, authors should explain how supporting materials may be accessed, while respecting patient privacy, participant confidentiality, ethical approvals, intellectual property and applicable legal restrictions.
Changes in Authorship
Requests to add, remove or reorder authors after submission must include a reasoned explanation and documented agreement from all listed authors and any individual proposed for addition or removal. The GMS may suspend processing until the requested change is clarified and appropriately documented.
Requests arising after publication will be considered in accordance with the journal's correction and publication ethics procedures.
Authorship Disputes
Authors should seek to resolve disputes concerning authorship eligibility, order or contributions within the author group. The GMS does not ordinarily adjudicate competing authorship claims. Where agreement cannot be reached, the matter may be referred to the relevant institution or another appropriate authority for investigation.
The journal may pause editorial processing or take appropriate publication-related action while a material authorship concern remains unresolved.
Institutional Affiliations
Each author's affiliation should identify the institution or organization where the relevant work was primarily conducted. A current address may be included separately when an author has subsequently moved to another institution.
The GMS remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims reflected in institutional names or affiliations.
Consortium and Group Authorship
For manuscripts submitted by a consortium or collaborative group, the corresponding author must clearly distinguish individuals who meet the authorship criteria from collaborators or contributors who should be acknowledged separately.
Each person identified as an author must approve the manuscript and accept the responsibilities of authorship. Authors preparing submissions involving large collaborative groups are encouraged to consult the editorial office where clarification of author and collaborator listings is needed.
Equal Contributions and Joint Supervision
The GMS recognizes that two or more authors may contribute equally to a scholarly work or share supervisory responsibilities. Equal contributions and joint supervision may be indicated in the manuscript when these designations accurately reflect the work performed.
There is no numerical limit imposed by this policy on authors who may be designated as equal contributors or joint supervisors. All designated authors must independently satisfy the applicable authorship criteria.
ORCID Identification
The GMS encourages authors to provide an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) to support accurate author identification and scholarly attribution. Providing an ORCID identifier is voluntary and is not a condition of manuscript submission or publication.
Artificial Intelligence and Authorship
Artificial intelligence systems and AI-assisted technologies cannot be designated as authors or co-authors because they cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of scholarly work.
Authors must disclose substantive use of AI-assisted technologies in preparing submitted work and describe their use in the appropriate manuscript section. Human authors remain responsible for reviewing and verifying AI-assisted content, including its accuracy, originality, references and ethical compliance.
Post-Publication Responsibilities
Authors must promptly inform the journal if they identify a significant error, omission or concern that could affect the accuracy or integrity of their published work. Authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable editorial inquiries and with any necessary correction, expression of concern or retraction process.