Policy

Changes to authorship are made openly, with the agreement of all authors. This page follows the COPE guidance on changes in authorship and on authorship disputes. See also the Authorship Policies.

Before acceptance

1. The corresponding author emails the editor with the current author list, the proposed author list, and the reason for the change.
2. All authors, including any author who would be added or removed, agree in writing.
3. The editor assesses the request and may pause the review while doing so. The editor decides whether the change is accepted.

After acceptance and after publication

• After acceptance, a change needs the approval of the Editor-in-Chief and is allowed only in exceptional circumstances.
• After publication, a change is made only through a correction notice, with the agreement of all authors. The article is not changed silently.
• A change of name for personal reasons can be handled discreetly.

Authorship disputes

• The editors do not decide who deserves authorship. The institutions of the authors are better placed to examine the evidence.
• If the authors do not agree, the editor pauses the process, asks the authors to settle the matter among themselves, and, if they cannot, refers it to their institutions and acts on the findings. The editors follow the relevant COPE flowcharts.
• Listing a person as an author without that person’s consent is treated as a publication ethics matter. See Publication Ethics.

How to send a request

Write to the editorial office through the Contact page with the subject line “Authorship change – [manuscript ID or article DOI]”. Include the current and proposed author lists, the reason, each author’s contribution to the work (CRediT roles if possible), and the written agreement of every author.