Publications

Check Out BORN on PubMed!

For a full list of publications that have used BORN data or were led by the BORN Ontario team, see our list in PubMed. This list is continually updated as new publications become available. 

Since 2009, more than 180 scientific publications have resulted from research done using BORN data. 

Research using BORN data is published by Canadian and international research teams in diverse journals, including journals that reach front-line maternal-newborn health care providers, and high-impact journals with broad scientific reach. 

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BORN

Authorship Guidelines

BORN authorship guidelines provide consistent and fair standards for assigning authorship for peer-reviewed 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. 

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. 

  1. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content. 

  1. Final approval of the version to be published. 

  1. 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. Examples of individual contributions that would be acknowledged include: 

  • Acquiring funding 

  • General (managerial) supervision 

  • Administrative support 

  • Technical editing and proofreading 

  • Providing access to data 

  • Translation 

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 supervises the research. This is more than a managerial role supervising staff as the senior author: 

  • Provides overall scientific supervision for the research project; 

  • Ensures the scientific integrity of the research; and 

  • Provides scientific mentorship to junior team members of the research team. 

*Not all publications will have a senior author (e.g., the first author is also the senior author). However, all publications have a last author, so that author may be misinterpreted as the senior author. However, this can be clarified during the submission process, as journals require authors to document their role and contributions. 

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. 

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 (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 

Project team members can follow these best practices for establishing authorship: 

  1. Use these guidelines and share them with team members to support decision making 

  1. Start discussions early. Plans for data use, publication, and authorship should be discussed, and agreed upon at project initiation. 

  1. Document and track decisions about how data will be used, planned publication, and roles and responsibilities. 

  • BORN has a template for documenting and tracking plans for data use, publication, and authorship. 

  • Research teams can also adopt a written authorship agreement. The Institute for Clinical Research Evaluation (ICRE) at the University of Pittsburg has a template agreement 

  1. Review and revise plans as the project evolves to ensure feasibility, as needed (e.g., to reflect changes to roles or availability, new lines of enquiry, changing priorities). Document any changes. 

The BORN Research Director is available to discuss any questions or concerns about authorship. 

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. 

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