Authorship Policy

The Journal and MediHealth Academy strictly adhere to the authorship guidelines recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Authorship should be based on the following four criteria:

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

Each individual listed as an author must fulfill all four authorship criteria. Individuals who do not meet all four criteria but have provided other contributions should be recognized separately on the title page and in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript.

The Journal requires that the corresponding author submit a signed and scanned version of the authorship contribution form during the initial submission process. This form ensures authorship rights are appropriately indicated and helps prevent ghost or honorary authorship. The list of authors on the final manuscript will be presented in the order provided on this form. Should the editorial board suspect a case of gift authorship, the submission will be rejected without further review. The corresponding author must also submit a short statement confirming responsibility for authorship during the submission and review stages.

Changes to Authorship

Once a manuscript has been submitted, changes to authorship will generally not be considered. Authors must carefully consider the authorship list and order before the manuscript is submitted.

The policy regarding authorship changes is as follows:

• All authors must be listed in the manuscript and their details entered into the submission system.
• Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names may only occur prior to acceptance and must be approved by the Journal editor.
• Requests for authorship changes should be made by the corresponding author, who must provide the reason for the request along with written confirmation from all authors (including those being added or removed) that they agree to the change.
• All authorship change requests must be submitted using the appropriate form. Requests that do not comply with the instructions will not be considered.
• Only in exceptional circumstances will the Journal editor consider authorship changes after acceptance.
• The publication of the manuscript may be paused while a request for authorship change is being considered.
• If a change is approved after publication, a corrigendum will be issued.

Any unauthorized changes to authorship may result in the rejection of the article or its retraction if already published.

Authorship Declaration

Each author is required to submit a signed authorship and contribution statement. This declaration should include:

• Author roles (e.g., conceptualization, data analysis, writing),
• Any editorial support received,
• Disclosures of potential honorary authorship.

Authorship Disputes

In the event of authorship disputes, the Journal will follow the COPE authorship dispute resolution flowchart. If a dispute arises after publication, corrections or retractions may be issued as appropriate.