Authorship and Contributorship Criteria

Authorship and Contributorship Policy

1. Purpose and Principles

MEV recognizes authorship as both credit for scholarly work and responsibility for its accuracy, integrity, and ethical conduct. Authorship must accurately reflect the individuals who made substantial intellectual contributions to the work and who are prepared to take public responsibility for it.

This policy is intended to:

  • ensure that appropriate contributors receive authorship credit;

  • prevent honorary, gift, coercive, purchased, fictitious, or ghost authorship;

  • distinguish authors from non-author contributors;

  • make individual contributions transparent;

  • establish responsibilities for the corresponding author and all co-authors; and

  • provide procedures for authorship changes and disputes.

The authors, rather than the journal, are primarily responsible for identifying who qualifies for authorship and determining the order of authors. MEV may nevertheless request supporting information, investigate suspected irregularities, or refer disputes to the relevant institutions.

2. Criteria for Authorship

Every individual listed as an author must meet all four of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contribution
    The individual made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.

  2. Intellectual involvement in the manuscript
    The individual drafted the manuscript or critically reviewed it for important intellectual content.

  3. Approval of the final version
    The individual reviewed and approved the version to be published.

  4. Accountability
    The individual agreed to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of the work and to cooperate in resolving questions concerning any part of it.

All persons who meet these four criteria should be listed as authors. Individuals who have made a substantial contribution should be given a reasonable opportunity to participate in reviewing, revising, and approving the manuscript rather than being excluded from authorship.

A person must not be listed as an author solely because of seniority, position, reputation, institutional authority, funding, supervision, ownership of facilities, or another contribution that does not satisfy all four criteria.

3. Collective and Individual Responsibility

Each author is responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their own contribution.

Authors should also:

  • understand the overall purpose, methods, findings, and conclusions of the work;

  • know which co-authors are responsible for specific contributions;

  • have reasonable confidence in the integrity of their co-authors’ contributions;

  • cooperate with requests for data, documentation, clarification, correction, or investigation; and

  • help ensure that questions concerning the work are appropriately examined and resolved.

An author cannot avoid accountability merely by stating that a questioned part of the article was prepared by another author.

4. Author Contribution Statement

MEV requires manuscripts to include an Author Contributions statement describing each author’s role.

Authors should use the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) where appropriate. The CRediT roles are:

  • Conceptualization;

  • Data curation;

  • Formal analysis;

  • Funding acquisition;

  • Investigation;

  • Methodology;

  • Project administration;

  • Resources;

  • Software;

  • Supervision;

  • Validation;

  • Visualization;

  • Writing – original draft; and

  • Writing – review and editing.

An individual may be assigned more than one role, and the same role may be assigned to more than one person.

A contribution statement may use the following format:

Conceptualization: A.B. and C.D.; Methodology: A.B.; Software: E.F.; Validation: C.D. and E.F.; Formal analysis: A.B.; Investigation: A.B. and E.F.; Data curation: E.F.; Writing – original draft: A.B.; Writing – review and editing: C.D. and E.F.; Visualization: A.B.; Supervision: C.D.; Funding acquisition: C.D.

All authors must review and approve the contribution statement before submission.

Assignment of a CRediT role does not automatically qualify a person for authorship. Each author must still satisfy all four authorship criteria.

5. Non-Author Contributors and Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet all four authorship criteria must not be listed as authors. Their contributions may be recognized in the Acknowledgements section.

Examples may include:

  • technical or laboratory assistance;

  • routine data collection;

  • administrative or logistical support;

  • language editing, translation, or proofreading;

  • professional writing assistance;

  • preparation of illustrations or formatting;

  • provision of materials, facilities, or equipment;

  • general supervision;

  • funding acquisition without further intellectual contribution; and

  • advice that did not amount to a substantial intellectual contribution.

The Acknowledgements section should describe the nature of the assistance provided. Any financial support or paid professional service must also be disclosed.

Because acknowledgement may imply endorsement of the work, authors must obtain permission from individuals who are identified by name.

6. Unacceptable Authorship Practices

MEV prohibits the following practices:

Honorary or Gift Authorship

Listing a person because of seniority, status, reputation, authority, personal relationship, or expectation of reciprocal credit when that person does not meet the authorship criteria.

Guest Authorship

Adding a prominent or influential person to increase the apparent credibility, visibility, or likelihood of acceptance of a manuscript.

Coercive Authorship

Using authority, supervision, employment, funding, or institutional power to demand authorship without a qualifying contribution.

Ghost Authorship

Omitting a person who made a qualifying contribution or concealing the involvement of a writer, company, sponsor, or other contributor.

Purchased or Sold Authorship

Offering, selling, purchasing, exchanging, or transferring a position on an author list.

Fictitious or Fraudulent Authorship

Listing a nonexistent person, using a false identity, impersonating another person, or including an individual without their knowledge and consent.

Authorship Without Consent

Submitting or publishing a person’s name as an author without that person having reviewed and approved the manuscript and agreed to authorship.

Suspected authorship manipulation may result in suspension of editorial processing, rejection, correction, retraction, notification of relevant institutions, or action under MEV’s Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct Policy.

7. Author Order

The authors are collectively responsible for determining the order in which their names appear.

MEV does not determine author order and does not assume that a particular position necessarily represents a specific level or type of contribution.

Authors should discuss and agree on author order before initial submission. Any convention used to determine the order should be understood and accepted by all authors.

Statements of equal contribution may be included when they accurately reflect the work and have been approved by all authors. Equal contribution statements must not be used to conceal uncertainty or disagreement regarding authorship.

8. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the author group and MEV before, during, and after publication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • ensuring that every listed author meets MEV’s authorship criteria;

  • ensuring that no qualifying author has been omitted;

  • obtaining agreement on the author list and order;

  • confirming the accuracy of names, affiliations, and contact information;

  • ensuring that all authors approve the manuscript before submission;

  • coordinating the Author Contributions and competing-interest statements;

  • keeping all authors informed of editorial correspondence and decisions;

  • obtaining all authors’ approval for revisions and the final version;

  • responding promptly to editorial queries;

  • ensuring that data, ethical approvals, permissions, and supporting documentation can be provided when requested; and

  • remaining available after publication to respond to questions, corrections, or integrity concerns.

The corresponding author’s responsibilities do not reduce the accountability of the other authors.

Any request to change the corresponding author must include a reason and written agreement from all authors, including the previous and proposed corresponding authors.

9. Group or Consortium Authorship

A research group, consortium, or collaborative network may be listed as an author when group authorship is appropriate.

The corresponding author must:

  • identify the group name;

  • identify the individual members who meet the authorship criteria and accept responsibility for the work;

  • distinguish authors from other group contributors;

  • provide contribution information where required; and

  • confirm that the group has approved the submitted manuscript.

Individuals who contributed through the group but do not meet the authorship criteria may be listed separately as collaborators or acknowledged contributors.

10. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Generative AI systems and AI-assisted tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot approve a manuscript, assume accountability, declare competing interests, hold rights, or respond to integrity concerns.

Human authors remain fully responsible for all content produced or modified with AI assistance. Substantive AI use must be disclosed in accordance with MEV’s Policy on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence.

The use of AI does not reduce the contribution or accountability required for human authorship.

11. Finalization of the Author List

The complete and definitive author list should be provided at initial submission, both in the manuscript and in the submission metadata.

Before submission, all authors must agree on:

  • inclusion in the author list;

  • author order;

  • corresponding author designation;

  • affiliations;

  • contribution statement;

  • competing-interest declaration; and

  • the submitted version of the manuscript.

MEV may request confirmation directly from any author.

The journal may also request ORCID identifiers, institutional email confirmation, contribution records, or other reasonable documentation to verify identity and authorship.

12. Changes to Authorship Before Acceptance

Requests to add, remove, reorder, or replace authors after initial submission will be considered only when a clear and valid reason is provided.

The corresponding author must submit:

  • a description of the requested change;

  • the reason for the change;

  • an updated Author Contributions statement; and

  • written confirmation from all existing authors and any person being added or removed.

A person being removed must confirm that they agree to the removal. A person being added must confirm that they meet the authorship criteria, approve the manuscript, and accept accountability.

MEV may suspend peer review or editorial processing while the request is assessed. Approval of the change is at the discretion of the Editor.

Authorship changes requested during revision must not be used to add individuals merely because they assisted with responding to reviewers or to remove authors because of a disagreement about the editorial decision.

13. Changes After Acceptance

After acceptance, addition, removal, replacement, or rearrangement of authors will be considered only in exceptional circumstances.

Publication will be suspended while the request is evaluated. The same documentation and written agreement required before acceptance must be provided.

MEV may refuse the change when:

  • the explanation is inadequate;

  • the requested change appears inconsistent with the contribution records;

  • consent from affected authors is missing;

  • there is evidence of coercion, sale, purchase, or manipulation of authorship; or

  • an unresolved authorship dispute requires institutional investigation.

Approval of an authorship change does not guarantee that publication can proceed immediately.

14. Changes After Publication

Authorship information in a published article will not be changed silently.

An approved post-publication authorship change will normally be made through a formal Correction linked to the original article. The Correction will explain the nature of the change, unless confidentiality, privacy, or legal considerations require otherwise.

MEV may request:

  • written agreement from all authors;

  • an updated contribution statement;

  • supporting institutional documentation;

  • confirmation from the person being added or removed; and

  • an explanation of why the correct authorship information was not provided earlier.

When a dispute remains unresolved, MEV may publish an Expression of Concern or another appropriate notice until a competent institution provides a reliable determination.

Post-publication actions will follow MEV’s Corrections, Retractions, Withdrawals, Removals, and Replacements Policy.

15. Authorship Disputes

MEV cannot adjudicate disputes about who deserves authorship or the appropriate author order when the relevant parties cannot agree.

When a dispute arises, MEV may:

  • request that the authors resolve the matter collectively;

  • suspend peer review, acceptance, production, or publication;

  • request documentation of contributions and prior agreements;

  • refer the matter to the institution or institutions where the work was conducted;

  • seek a determination from an employer, funder, or other competent body; or

  • take action under MEV’s publication ethics policies when manipulation or misconduct is suspected.

The journal will normally rely on an institutional determination or documented agreement among all affected parties before changing an author list.

Complaints about whether MEV followed its authorship procedure will be handled under MEV’s Complaints and Appeals Policy.

16. Submissions from Editors

Editors and Editorial Board members must meet the same authorship criteria as all other authors.

When an editor is an author of a submitted manuscript, the submission will be handled independently in accordance with MEV’s Conflicts of Interest and Competing Interests Policy. The author-editor must not participate in reviewer selection, editorial discussion, or the decision.

17. Policy Review

MEV will periodically review and update this policy to remain consistent with developments in scholarly publishing, authorship standards, contributor taxonomies, publication ethics, and COPE guidance.

Last updated: August 2026