1. Authorship
To qualify as an author in the BCMJ, the following four conditions must be met:
- Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; and
- Drafting the manuscript or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; and
- Final approval of the version to be published; and
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Each author must have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. The order of authorship is decided by the co-authors. All authors must complete the online Author Form and certify that they qualify as an author of a manuscript.
Chatbots/AI cannot be listed as an author. See our policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Assisted Technology.
2. Contributorship
Individuals who do not meet the four conditions of authorship should be listed in an acknowledgments section in the manuscript as contributors. Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship.
All contributors must complete a Permission to Appear in Acknowledgments Form.
3. Corresponding Author
Authors should identify a corresponding author for the manuscript. The corresponding author will be the primary contact with the editorial team during the submission, review, and publication processes. If the manuscript is accepted, the corresponding author will review an edited manuscript and proof, and handle all post-publication communications. They may choose to be identified as the corresponding author in the published article.