It is the responsibility of the authors to identify individuals who meet the authorship criteria, ideally at the planning stage of the research, and to adjust these designations as the work progresses. The responsibility to confirm that all listed authors meet the criteria lies with the authors themselves, not with the journal. If disagreements arise about authorship, the institution(s) where the research was conducted should be approached to resolve the issue, rather than the journal editor. Any requests for changes in authorship after manuscript submission or publication should be accompanied by a signed statement of agreement from all authors, including those to be added or removed.

The corresponding author is the primary contact for the journal throughout the submission, peer review, and publication processes. This individual ensures that all administrative requirements, including details of authorship, ethics approvals, and conflict-of-interest disclosures, are completed. While these responsibilities may be delegated to co-authors, the corresponding author must remain available to respond to editorial queries promptly and address any post-publication questions or requests for additional information. It is advisable for editors to send copies of all correspondence to all listed authors.

For research conducted by large multi-author teams, it is ideal to determine and confirm authorship roles before starting the work and prior to manuscript submission. All individuals listed as authors must meet the four criteria, including final manuscript approval, and should be fully confident in the work's accuracy and integrity. They are also expected to complete conflict-of-interest disclosure forms.

Individuals who do not meet all four criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors but should be acknowledged. Activities such as securing funding, providing general supervision, or offering administrative support, writing assistance, technical editing, language editing, and proofreading alone do not qualify a contributor for authorship. Such contributors should be acknowledged individually or as a group, with their specific contributions detailed (e.g., "served as scientific advisors," "reviewed the study proposal," "collected data," "provided and cared for study patients," "participated in writing or technical editing of the manuscript").

Acknowledgments should be managed carefully to avoid implying endorsement of the study’s data and conclusions. Editors should ensure that the corresponding author obtains written permission from all individuals acknowledged.