Authorship and Contributorship

This policy aims to ensure appropriate recognition of individuals who have made meaningful intellectual contributions to a manuscript, clearly defining their roles and responsibilities in relation to the published work. Contributors are classified either as author contributors—those meeting all four authorship criteria listed below—or non-author contributors, whose contributions, while valuable, do not fulfill authorship requirements and are instead recognized through acknowledgments.

Caucasian Medical Journal adheres to the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), summarized as follows:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript 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 questions related to accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The term "substantial contribution" is interpreted broadly to accommodate diverse types of scholarly contributions, including non-research articles. However, securing funding, general supervision, administrative support, or editorial assistance alone do not fulfill authorship criteria and should be acknowledged separately. The criteria ensure authorship accurately reflects meaningful intellectual participation and accountability for the work's integrity.

Authors submitting to Caucasian Medical Journal are required to complete and submit the following forms Copyright Agreement Form and the ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.

Definitions of Contributor Roles

To promote transparency and appropriate credit attribution, contributor categories are defined as:

• Contributor: Any individual—author, collaborator, or otherwise acknowledged—who provided meaningful input to the manuscript.
• Author: A contributor meeting all ICMJE authorship criteria, thereby taking public responsibility for significant portions or the entirety of the manuscript.
• Byline Author: Listed prominently as an author on the manuscript's byline.
• Non-Byline Author: Meets authorship criteria but is listed within Acknowledgments or Article Information sections instead of the byline.
• Group Author: Collective authorship attributed to a formal group (e.g., consortium, research network, expert committee, or multicenter collaboration). The group's name appears on the byline, with individual members detailed elsewhere in the manuscript.
• Collaborator: A non-author contributor formally affiliated with a research group or collaboration, making significant contributions without meeting full authorship criteria. The group must appear in the byline.
• Other Contributors: Individuals who provided technical support, writing assistance, administrative support, or contributions not meeting authorship criteria. These contributors should be acknowledged explicitly in an "Additional Contributions" or "Acknowledgments" section.

Corresponding Author

Each manuscript must have one designated corresponding author responsible for all communication with the editorial office during submission, peer review, and publication. This individual serves as the primary contact for editorial decisions, manuscript revisions, and final proof approvals, ensuring compliance with administrative requirements (e.g., completion of required forms, disclosures, acknowledgments). Although only one corresponding author is formally designated to streamline communication, contact details for co-authors may be requested to ensure continuity if necessary. The corresponding author must also confirm that contributors not meeting authorship criteria are acknowledged appropriately, detailing their specific roles, and have provided written permission to be acknowledged.

Authorship Disputes

In cases of authorship disputes, authors are encouraged first to resolve issues amicably and internally. If disputes persist, authors may contact the editorial office, which will follow guidelines provided by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) to facilitate resolution.

For further information on author fees, copyright and licensing, or details regarding our peer review process, please consult the Journal Policies and Instructions to Reviewers sections available on our website.