It’s vital to acknowledge individuals involved in compiling and writing research reports. Many journals currently need authors to acknowledge the people who were involved in writing up research reports, as well as any individual who contributed to the study in some way. These are known as authorship and contributorship.
What’s Authorship?
Authorship is based on four criteria, which include substantial contributions to the design or reception of the work, revising or drafting the work, approval of the version to be published, and agreeing to be accountable for all work aspects related to integrity and accuracy of any section of the work.
Individuals who don’t meet these criteria aren’t listed as authors but can be recognized as contributors. These authors include details of their contribution type, such as advising on drafts, commenting on write-ups, securing funding, and helping oversee the research.
What’s a Corresponding Author?
A corresponding author is an individual who is responsible for facilitating communication with the research journal during three vital processes, including peer review, manuscript submission, and publication.
Normally, a corresponding author ensures that all administrative needs and requirements of the journal, including providing authorship details, clinical trial registration documentation, ethics committee approval, and collecting conflict of interest statements and forms, are fully met. However, these tasks can be delegated to either one or several co-authors.
In general, corresponding authors are a group of leaders or senior researchers with some or plenty of experience in scientific research submission and publishing processes. They’re individuals who have not only contributed to the research significantly but also have the ability to make sure it’s published smoothly and successfully.
Corresponding authors are usually available even after publication in order to respond to any questions and critiques of the work and to cooperate with additional data or information requests.
What is the Importance of a Corresponding Author?
A corresponding author is responsible for several duties and critical aspects at every stage of the research’s dissemination, prior to and after publication, which include the following:
- Responsible for the entire manuscript as it goes through
- the publication process
- Acts as the primary contact between all other authors of the project and the journal
- Also, a corresponding author acts as the timekeeper in each publication process phase
- Responsible for making sure that all other authors of the
- paper have reviewed and approved the manuscript’s final version before submission
- Helps distribute different communications from the journal, including reviewer’s reports and decision letters
- Responsible for uploading the manuscript to the online submission website or sending it for peer review
In summary, a corresponding author is an individual who’s responsible for bringing researchers and research to the public eye. To be successful, corresponding authors need to keep in mind that top quality is the foundation and first step to impress a peer’s team or a more refined audience.
Corresponding authors need to ensure deadlines are met and ethical practices are adhered to. Also, they need to prepare a submission-ready manuscript, gather a submission package, take the front line on open access, and ensure all author details are correct.
