Who qualifies as an author

HNCBT applies the ICMJE authorship criteria. Each author must satisfy all four: make a substantial contribution to conception or design, or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data; draft the work or critically revise its intellectual content; approve the final version; and accept accountability for the work, including appropriate resolution of questions about accuracy or integrity.

Funding acquisition, supervision, administrative support or data collection alone does not establish authorship without the other required contributions. Contributors should be given a reasonable opportunity to participate in drafting or revision and final approval. Guest, honorary, purchased and ghost authorship are unacceptable.

Contribution statements

Provide a contribution statement using the CRediT taxonomy where applicable. Assign roles accurately to the named contributors; one person may have several roles, and a role may be shared. CRediT describes contributions and does not replace the authorship criteria. All authors should agree to the statement and the order of names.

Corresponding author and acknowledgments

The corresponding author coordinates submission, verifies that approvals and declarations are complete, and ensures timely communication with co-authors. This role does not relieve other authors of responsibility for their contributions and the publication. Acknowledge assistance that does not meet authorship criteria, including professional writing or technical support, and identify relevant funding. Obtain permission before naming an acknowledged person.

Changes and disputes

Requests to add, remove or reorder authors after submission must include the reason and written agreement from all affected authors. Changes after acceptance require explicit editorial review; changes after publication may require a formal correction. The journal may suspend handling while an unresolved dispute is referred to the responsible institution. Editors do not adjudicate employment or contribution disputes without appropriate evidence.

AI systems cannot qualify as authors. Relevant assistance must be disclosed under AI Policy.