Journal of

Authorship Policy

Journal of Surgery and Trauma adheres to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). According to these guidelines, authorship should be based on all four of the following criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.

• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

• Final approval of the version to be published.

• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to accuracy or integrity are properly investigated and resolved.

All individuals designated as authors must meet these four criteria. Conversely, anyone meeting all four criteria should be credited as an author. Individuals who contribute only to specific aspects of the study (such as data collection, funding acquisition, or general supervision) should be recognized in the acknowledgments section rather than as authors.
The corresponding author carries primary responsibility for communication with the journal throughout submission, peer review, and publication processes, and ensures that all administrative and ethical requirements are met. Only one corresponding author is permitted per article, although details such as equal contribution may be noted in the author or acknowledgments section.
When research is conducted by a large collaborative group, the group should decide who qualifies for authorship before submission. Each author must approve the final manuscript and take public responsibility for their contribution as well as confidence in the integrity of their co-authors’ work.
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies do not qualify for authorship. Only human authors can take responsibility for the integrity and accountability required in scholarly publishing.
 

Contributorship and Guarantorship

In addition to the list of authors at the start of an article, the journal encourages a contributorship statement at the end of the paper that clearly describes each contributor’s role in planning, conducting, analyzing, and reporting the work. This should also include individuals such as patients or members of the public who contributed to the research.
One or more contributors must be identified as guarantors of the work. The guarantor accepts full responsibility for the integrity of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the final decision to publish.
 

Changes to Authorship

Any change to authorship (addition, deletion, or order adjustment) after the initial submission must be approved in writing by all authors. The editor may request formal confirmation from all contributors before approving any modifications.
 

Group Authorship

For projects involving large multi-author groups, authors should verify that all listed members meet ICMJE authorship criteria. In such cases, the group name may appear in the article byline while the names of individual authors and collaborators are listed separately within the publication. 
 

Deceased Authors

If an author passes away during the research or publication process, their authorship may still be recognized if the remaining writers determine that the individual made a significant contribution and would have qualified as an author. A deceased author cannot serve as the corresponding author or guarantor.
The contribution of the deceased author should be clearly described in the contributorship statement. A short dedication or acknowledgment may also be included. The corresponding author should make every effort to consult the next of kin regarding declarations of interest on behalf of the deceased contributor.