Authorship of a paper ought to be limited to those who have made a noteworthy contribution to the study. If others have participated in the research, they should be listed as contributors. Authorship also includes a corresponding author who is in communication with the editor of a journal. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included in a paper.
Turkish Medical Student Journal 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 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 questions related to accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.
The term "substantial contribution" is interpreted broadly to accommodate diverse types of scholarly contributions, including non-research articles. However, securing funding, general supervision, administrative support, or editorial assistance alone does not fulfill authorship criteria and should be acknowledged separately. The criteria ensure authorship accurately reflects meaningful intellectual participation and accountability for the work's integrity.
Authors submitting to the Turkish Medical Student Journal are required to complete and submit the following forms Copyright Agreement Form ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.
Definitions of Contributor Roles
To promote transparency and appropriate credit attribution, contributor categories are defined as:
Contributor: Any individual—author, collaborator, or otherwise acknowledged—who provided meaningful input to the manuscript.
Author: A contributor meeting all ICMJE authorship criteria, thereby taking public responsibility for significant portions or the entirety of the manuscript.
Byline Author: Listed prominently as an author on the manuscript's byline.
Non-Author Contributors: Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet all four ICMJE authorship criteria (e.g., technical support, writing assistance, administrative support) should not be listed as authors. Their contributions must be clearly described in the “Acknowledgments” or “Contributions” section, and they should provide written permission to be acknowledged where applicable.
Group Author: Collective authorship attributed to a formal group (e.g., consortium, research network, expert committee, or multicenter collaboration). The group's name appears on the byline, with individual members detailed elsewhere in the manuscript.
Collaborator: Non-author contributor formally affiliated with a research group or collaboration, making significant contributions without meeting full authorship criteria. The group must appear in the byline.
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., completion of 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 necessary. The corresponding author must also confirm that contributors not meeting authorship criteria are acknowledged appropriately, detailing their specific roles, and have provided written permission to be acknowledged.
Authorship Disputes
In cases of authorship disputes, authors are encouraged first to resolve issues amicably and internally. If disputes persist, authors may contact the editorial office, which will follow guidelines provided by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) to facilitate resolution.
