Authorship & Contributorship

Policy Statement

PJN follows the authorship criteria recommended by the ICMJE. Authorship is limited to individuals who: made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content; approved the final version to be published; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring questions about its accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals who meet all four criteria are identified as authors. Individuals who contributed but do not meet all four criteria are not listed as authors, but may be recognized in the Acknowledgments section, with their permission. At submission, the corresponding author confirms that all listed authors meet the criteria, have approved the manuscript, and agree to its submission. Authors provide a statement of their respective contributions, using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) or another contribution-reporting format adopted by PJN.

The order of authorship is determined collectively by the authors, not by PJN. Honorary, guest, or gift authorship, listing individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria, is not permitted. Ghost authorship, omitting individuals who made qualifying contributions, is likewise prohibited. Any request to add, remove, or reorder authors after initial submission must include a written explanation and the documented agreement of all affected authors; PJN does not adjudicate interpersonal authorship disputes, which may instead be referred to the authors' institution.

Generative artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors, because they cannot meet the requirements for accountability, approval, and responsibility. Any permitted use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript is disclosed in accordance with PJN's policy on Artificial Intelligence in Publishing.

1. Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to every individual associated with a PJN submission, at the time of submission, throughout revision, and if a dispute arises after acceptance or publication.

2. Definitions

Author: An individual who meets all four ICMJE authorship criteria.

Corresponding Author: The author responsible for communicating with PJN on behalf of all co-authors, including confirming authorship compliance at submission.

CRediT: The Contributor Roles Taxonomy, a standardized way of describing each author's specific contribution to a published work.

Honorary/Guest Authorship: Listing someone as an author who does not meet the authorship criteria, which PJN does not permit.

Ghost Authorship: Omitting from the author list someone who made a qualifying contribution, which PJN does not permit.