Authorship and Contributorship at BCPHR

BCPHR follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Authorship credit must reflect substantial contribution to the work, and all authors must take public responsibility for the manuscript. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria are acknowledged separately. This page explains who qualifies as an author, how to handle name changes and disputes, and how contributors are recognized.

Who Qualifies as an Author

To be listed as an author on a BCPHR manuscript, an individual must meet all four ICMJE criteria. Meeting only some of the criteria qualifies a person as a contributor, not an author.

Authors, Contributors, and Acknowledgments

Authors

Authors are listed at the beginning of the published piece. Each author must meet all four ICMJE criteria, must be a human individual (private or public organizations cannot be listed as authors), and must be able to identify their personal contribution to the work. Authors take collective public responsibility for the manuscript.

Contributors

Contributors are individuals who provided material or intellectual contribution to the work without meeting all four authorship criteria. This may include individuals who advised on process, were involved in data collection only, or contributed specialized expertise without participating in drafting. Contributors are listed in a contributorship statement at the end of the manuscript. All contributors must be aware of and have provided permission for their inclusion.

Acknowledgments

An acknowledgment section appears at the end of each manuscript as needed. Acknowledgments may include individuals who provided technical assistance, language editing, general support, or institutional resources, as well as funders not already named in the funding disclosure.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author oversees engagement with BCPHR during the publication process and beyond. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors meet the ICMJE criteria, that all authors have approved the manuscript, that all required disclosures are complete and accurate, and that responses to peer reviewers and post-publication queries are coordinated.

Author Name Changes

BCPHR supports authors who wish to update their published name (for example, after gender transition, marriage, divorce, or correction of a previously misspelled name). Name change requests can be submitted through Scholastica. Unless the author specifically requests it, name updates do not include a public correction notice on the manuscript page.

Adding or Removing Authors

Any addition or removal of authors after submission must be approved by all authors and accompanied by a written, signed statement explaining the change. The statement is submitted via Scholastica.

Authorship Disputes

BCPHR follows COPE guidelines in the event of authorship disputes. The editorial team will work with all parties to reach resolution. If no satisfactory resolution can be found, BCPHR reserves the right to withdraw the publication. Authorship disputes are taken seriously and addressed promptly.