- Everyone listed as an author should have made a substantial, direct, intellectual contribution to the work. For example (in the case of a research report), they should have contributed to the conception, design, analysis, or interpretation of data. Honorary or guest authorship is not acceptable. Acquisition of funding and provision of technical services or materials, while they may be essential to the work, are not in themselves sufficient contributions to justify authorship.
- Authorship should be reserved for those who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work. Other substantial contributions, while not qualifying for authorship, should be duly acknowledged. This distinction is important to maintain the integrity of authorship and ensure proper recognition of all contributors. When research is done by teams whose members are highly specialized, individuals' contributions and responsibilities may be limited to specific aspects of the work.
- All authors should participate in writing the manuscript by reviewing drafts and approving the final version.
- One author should take primary responsibility for the work as a whole even if he or she does not have an in-depth understanding of every part of the work.
- The primary author must take overall responsibility, including ensuring that all authors meet basic authorship standards and preparing a concise, written description of their contributions to the work, which all authors have approved.