Authorship Guidelines for SRTP Research Projects

Purpose
The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure clarity, fairness, and ethical standards in the assignment of authorship for any academic or research output resulting from the SRTP. These guidelines follow the internationally accepted recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

ICMJE Authorship Criteria
To qualify for authorship, an individual must meet all four of the following criteria as defined by ICMJE:

Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;
Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
Final approval of the version to be published;
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Meeting all four criteria is mandatory. Merely participating in data collection, training, or discussions does not suffice for authorship.

⚠️ Authorship is Not a Benefit of Payment

Payment of the SRTP training fee does not and will never guarantee authorship.

Why This Principle Matters:

Authorship must reflect meaningful intellectual contributions, not financial transactions. Assigning authorship based on payment violates ethical standards and undermines the integrity of scientific publishing.
Journals require all authors to affirm their contributions. If individuals are listed without legitimate input, the publication may be retracted or rejected.
Ghost authorship and honorary authorship are considered unethical and are treated as academic misconduct by institutions and publishers worldwide.

Trainees who do not meet the ICMJE criteria may be acknowledged for their participation but will not be included as authors.

Acknowledgments for Non-Author Contributions
Trainees or collaborators who:

Assist with data entry or analysis without interpreting results,
Support with logistics or administrative coordination,
Participate in training modules but do not contribute to writing or design,

may be listed in the Acknowledgments section with their consent.

Authorship Order and Responsibility

First Author: Primary contributor who leads the research and writing.
Last Author: Typically the senior mentor or PI who supervised the project.
Corresponding Author: Responsible for communication with journals and handling post-submission responsibilities.

All authors must approve the final manuscript and be willing to defend the work in its entirety.

Authorship Disputes
Any disputes will be resolved by the SRTP Advisory Board based on documented contributions and in compliance with ICMJE standards.

Documentation and Transparency

Trainees and mentors are encouraged to document contributions throughout the project.
An Authorship Contribution Form may be required before submission of any manuscript.

Ethical Publishing Practices
The SRTP is committed to fostering a culture of academic honesty, transparency, and responsible authorship. All research outputs will follow guidelines for:

Conflict of interest disclosure
Data availability and reproducibility
Avoidance of plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification