PhD Program Authorship Policy

The SON follows authorship guidelines outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). An author must meet each of the 4 criteria:

1.     Contributes substantially to the conception or design process, acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;

2.     Drafts the work or revises it critically for important intellectual content;

3.     Gives final approval of the version to be published;

4.     Agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Meaning they ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Any author who meets all the above criteria should be listed as an author no matter their rank or affiliation status. Each author will be given the chance to contribute to drafting, reviewing and approval on the manuscript, presentation, poster or other form of dissemination.

Author inclusion and order should be agreed among all co-authors early in the process. Email confirmation should be made at the time of the decision. Adjustments to authorship order can be made during the development of the manuscript, presentation, poster or other form of dissemination if warranted with a confirmatory email to document the change. Include confirmation of any changes to the initial agreed upon roles and responsibilities for each author, A copy of the PhD Program Authorship Standards should be included with the email.

A primary author should be identified unless equal contribution has occurred among some or all authors. If there is a single primary author, this person will have the most understanding of the project, did most of the work and will take responsibility for the integrity of the research. In this case, the primary author usually serves as the corresponding author. If two or more authors plan to contribute equally, then the order of authorship will be determined prior to development of the manuscript. When primary or multiple authors contribute equally, each author may list the publication on their CV based on the policy of the University or Unit.  Authorship may also be determined at the journal level as to whether there can be multiple first authors (e.g. *denotes dual first authorship or **denotes dual senior authorship).

If the project involves a students’ dissertation or collaborative work with a faculty member, it is expected that the student will adhere to the agreed-upon timeline, assigned responsibilities, and order of authorship.

In cases where the faculty member is the Principal Investigator on a project that encompasses the data and has been in communication with the student to publish the manuscript, the faculty member may rewrite the manuscript and assume primary authorship. 

It is suggested that authors disclose if they used artificial intelligence (AI) and/or assisted technologies such as Large Language Models, chatbots (ChatGPT), image creators in the development of summitted work. Authors should disclose in both the cover letter and body of the document how it was used. Chatbots should not be included as an author since they cannot be accountable for “accuracy, integrity, and originality of work” (ICMJE) which are all required for authorship. Authors are strongly encouraged to review the AI results as it can be “incorrect, incomplete, or biased” (ICMJE). “Authors should be able to assert that there is no plagiarism in their paper, including in text and images produced by AI. Humans must ensure that there is appropriate attribution of all quoted material, including full citations.” (ICMJE)

• The use of ghostwriters and gift authorship is prohibited.
• Individuals, under no circumstance, should be added as co-authors because of their reputation to increase the odds of publication or trustworthiness of the research being published or accepted for presentation.
• Senior faculty members should be named as co-authors on work independently generated by their junior colleagues or PhD students only if they have made substantial intellectual contributions to the design, interpretation of findings and document preparation.

It is hoped with extensive and ongoing communication between team members during the manuscript development process, no conflicts will arise regarding authorship. In the event of a conflict, it is suggested to adhere to the following guidelines to settle any such conflicts.

• All authors are strongly encouraged to settle the conflict among themselves.
• If authors cannot resolve the conflict, a mutually acceptable third party will mediate the conflict. Acceptable third parties include the Faculty Advisor, Assistant Dean for PhD Program, Department Chair, Associate Dean for Research (or designee) or the Senior Associate Dean.
• If the conflict is within a student publication, it is strongly encouraged that the student’s faculty advisor/chair mediates to arrive at an amicable solution. If all parties involved are unable to reach a mutually acceptable agreement, the faculty advisor should consult with the Assistant Dean for PhD Program for resolution guidance.
• During the resolution process, it is expected that all involved parties refrain from any activities that may harm authorship interests and the other authors. 

The SON adheres to the State University of New York (SUNY) policy on Unrestricted Dissemination of Research Activities. 

Conflicts of interest, or even perceived conflicts of interest, must be reported to maintain the integrity of the SON, research conducted and disseminated by our faculty, staff and students. To protect the reputation of the SON as an ethical research institution, the SON adheres to the University at Buffalo Investigator Conflict of Interest Policy. 

This policy was developed using the authorship principles developed by ICMJE and the listed references. In addition, this policy needs to acknowledge the policies developed by Brown University, Penn State, Dove Press, Elsevier and Springer Publishers.