A Comparison of Authorship Policies at Top-Ranked Peer-Reviewed Biomedical Journals

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Abstract
In a highly competitive scientific environment, authorship decisions are important. Including authors who do not meet authorship criteria dilutes the merits of other authors and may lead to inappropriate academic advancement and have a corrupting and discouraging influence on research.1,2 To ensure the honesty of the scientific process, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) defined 3 criteria for authorship eligibility, which, taken together, are indicative of personal effort and accountability.3 More than 500 biomedical journals have requested listing themselves as subscribers to ICMJE Uniform Requirements (URM) for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. However, the prevalence of authorship policies and criteria and authorship definitions vary widely, with many journals having implemented no criteria.