Authorship and Contributorship Policy
Forbes Journal of Medicine is committed to ensuring that intellectual contributions to scholarly work are accurately recognized and that all responsibilities related to published content are clearly and transparently assigned. Definitions and criteria for authorship follow the international standards established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Authorship Criteria
To qualify as an author, an individual must meet all four of the following ICMJE criteria simultaneously:
1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
2. Drafting the manu or critically revising it for important intellectual content;
3. Final approval of the version to be published;
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that any questions related to accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Providing funding, administrative support, editorial assistance, or general supervision alone does not constitute authorship. Such contributions must be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section.
Contribution Categories
Individuals contributing to the work may be classified within the following categories:
• Author: An individual who meets all ICMJE authorship criteria and carries public responsibility for the published work.
• Byline Author: An author listed in the article’s byline.
• Non-Byline Author: An individual who meets authorship criteria but is listed only in the Acknowledgments or Supplementary Information.
• Group Author: Authors listed collectively on behalf of an institution, consortium, or research network.
• Collaborator: An individual who contributes to the research but does not meet authorship criteria.
• Other Contributors: Individuals providing technical assistance, statistical support, graphic design, language editing, or other non-authorial contributions.
Contributor Disclosure and Required Declarations
The following documents must be submitted at the time of manuscript submission:
• Authorship and Contribution Declaration
• Copyright Agreement
• ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
• Funding and Acknowledgment Permission Form
The order of authorship must be agreed upon by all authors prior to submission. Requests to change the authorship list after submission or acceptance require written consent from all listed authors.
Corresponding Author
Each article must designate one Corresponding Author. This individual is responsible for:
• Managing all communication with the editorial office during submission, peer review, and publication;
• Ensuring that all mandatory declarations and forms are accurately completed and submitted;
• Identifying non-author contributors and obtaining their written consent for acknowledgment.
The editorial office reserves the right to contact any co-author as needed for verification purposes.
Authorship Disputes
Authorship disputes should first be resolved in good faith among the parties involved. If no agreement can be reached, a written request may be submitted to the editorial office of Forbes Journal of Medicine. All disputes will be reviewed and resolved in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
Further information on authorship, licensing, conflict of interest, and related editorial policies can be found in the “Publication Policies” and “Instructions for Authors” sections of the journal’s website.