What are the ICMJE authorship criteria?
ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) defines 4 criteria that a person must meet to qualify as an author. All four are required. The criteria cover substantive contribution, drafting/critical review, final approval, and accountability. Anyone who meets fewer than four should be listed in the acknowledgments, not as an author. Most major journals — including all Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, Sage — apply ICMJE rules.
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The four criteria
1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; OR the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data. 2. Drafting the work OR reviewing 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.
The rule
An author must meet ALL four criteria. Meeting only one does not qualify.
How this excludes common practices
Under ICMJE, being a 'lab head' does not qualify you as author unless you meet all four criteria. Providing data or funding without intellectual contribution does not qualify. Being asked to 'read and approve' a manuscript that you did not shape does not qualify.
The LMIC clause
Editors should be aware of the practice of excluding local researchers from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) from authorship when data are from LMICs. Lack of inclusion of local investigators as authors should prompt questioning and may lead to rejection.
What to do with substantial helpers who don't qualify
List them in the Acknowledgments section with their role: 'Language editing by X', 'Statistical advice from Y', 'Ethics committee liaison Z'. This gives credit without inflating the author list.