Authorship Criteria

Authorship

An individual qualifies for authorship only if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Making substantial contributions to the conception or design of the study; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the development of software or substantive methodological resources used in the research.
  2. Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
  3. Providing final approval of the submitted version and of substantial revisions relevant to the individual's contributions.
  4. Agreeing to be accountable for their own contributions and to cooperate in resolving questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work.

At least one author must serve as the guarantor or corresponding author, assuming overall responsibility for coordinating the integrity, transparency, and completeness of the manuscript submission.

For internationally recognized authorship principles, authors may consult the ICMJE Recommendations on Authors and Contributors .

Author Contributions and CRediT

JIIM requires an Author Contributions statement using the CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy where applicable. Contributor roles may include Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data Curation, Writing - Original Draft, Writing - Review & Editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project Administration, and Funding Acquisition.

Contributions That Do Not Qualify for Authorship

The following activities alone are insufficient to justify authorship: general supervision, obtaining funding, routine administrative support, data collection without intellectual contribution, language editing, formatting, translation, or general advice. Appropriate contributors may be acknowledged with their consent.

Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

  • Ensure that all individuals meeting the authorship criteria are listed and that all authors approve the manuscript submission.
  • Ensure the completeness of statements concerning author contributions, funding, data availability, research ethics and consent, conflicts of interest, clinical trial registration where applicable, and disclosure of AI use.
  • Coordinate communication with the journal during submission, peer review, revision, proofreading, and post-publication matters.
  • Respond to reasonable journal requests for data, ethics documentation, or clarification relating to research integrity.

Equal Contributions and Group Authorship

Equal contributions may be indicated through an appropriate author note. Group or consortium authorship may be permitted when the group name and individual contributors are reported transparently in accordance with the journal's authorship and contribution requirements.

Generative AI and Professional Assistance

AI systems cannot qualify as authors. Professional writers, editors, statisticians, translators, or other assistants who do not meet the authorship criteria must be appropriately acknowledged, including disclosure of funding sources where relevant. Undisclosed ghostwriting is prohibited.

Changes in Authorship

Before acceptance, the addition or removal of authors or changes in author order require a written request from the corresponding author, a clear justification, and documented agreement from all affected authors.

Requests submitted after acceptance or publication will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If approved after publication, such changes may require a formal correction notice.

Names, Affiliations, and Identifiers

Authors must provide the affiliation where the research was primarily conducted. Additional affiliations may be included where appropriate. An ORCID iD is required for all authors to the extent supported by the journal's submission system.