BORN Authorship Guidelines

Introduction

BORN authorship guidelines provide consistent and fair standards for assigning authorship for peerreviewed publications and presentations involving BORN staff and affiliated investigators.  The guidelines are based on the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria and are tailored to reflect BORN’s collaborative and multidisciplinary team.

The purpose of these guidelines is to:

• Ensure transparency and fairness in authorship decisions.
• Promote accountability and integrity in research.
• Support professional development and recognition of contributions.
• Prevent disputes and clarify expectations from the outset of a project.
• Facilitate timely submission for peer review.

These guidelines apply to all BORN-affiliated peer-reviewed research outputs, including manuscripts, abstracts, posters, and presentations. Authorship should be discussed at the outset of a project and agreed to in advance.

Criteria for authorship

To qualify as an author, individuals must meet ALL four of the following ICMJE criteria:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Accountability for all aspects of the work, ensuring questions related to accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who contributed to the project but do not meet authorship criteria will be acknowledged.

Ordering of authorship

The first author is the individual who:

• Leads the project and manuscript development;
• Contributes the most to the research design, data analysis, or writing;
• Coordinates input from all co-authors; and
• Ensures adherence to ethical and publication standards.

The senior (last) author* is a Principal Investigator, academic supervisor, or senior BORN staff who

• Provides overall supervision for the research project; 
• Ensures the scientific integrity of the research; and
• Provides mentorship to junior team members of the research team. 

*Not all publications will have a senior author.

The corresponding author is typically the first or senior author for peer-review publications who is the primary point of contact between the journal and co-authors during submission, peer review, and publication. They:

• Keep all co-authors informed about manuscript status and decisions; 
• Ensure the publication is formatted and submitted according to journal guidelines; 
• Write the cover letter to the journal; 
• Uploads all required files; 
• Takes responsibility for the accuracy of the manuscript (including data, figures, and references); 
• Handles all communication with journal editors; 
• Respond to reviewer comments, ensuring all co-authors agree on revisions and final submission; 
• Handles queries from readers or the journal after publication; and 
• Coordinates the response to any post-publication issues (e.g., errors, clarifications)

First/senior/corresponding authors accept significantly responsibility for the research and publication/poster.

Middle authors:

• Ordering of middle authors should follow a standard process, either by degree of contribution or alphabetical, and agreed to in advance.

Author responsibilities

All authors are expected to:

• Disclose real and perceived conflicts of interest
• Ensure the research complies with ethical and BORN standards
• Verify the accuracy of the approach, data sources, methods, or analyses (as appropriate to their role).
• Engage in regular communication with co-authors and respond to feedback
• Ensure contributors who do not meet authorship criteria are properly acknowledged

Author disputes

Disputes should be resolved internally through discussion. Questions and concerns can be forwarded to the BORN Research Director.

Conclusion

BORN is committed to fostering a research culture grounded in integrity, transparency, and mutual respect. These authorship guidelines are designed to support fair recognition of contributions, encourage collaboration, and uphold the highest standards of scholarly conduct. BORN staff are encouraged to review and discuss authorship expectations at the outset of each project, including external projects, and revisit them as work progresses. By adhering to these principles, we can ensure that our research outputs reflect our collective effort and shared responsibilities.

Last updated: December 24, 2025