An informed choice: ‘publish and flourish’ or ‘publish and perish’

In the era of ‘Publish or Perish’, the pressure to publish amongst medical professionals is very intense. Although the criteria for being included as an author are well defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), they are not adhered to strictly by the researchers, in their enthusiasm to publish. The authors should realise the responsibilities associated with authorship. The authors get credit for the published research, enhancing their reputation, academically and professionally. It also helps in job promotion and obtaining further research grants. The authors and co-authors should own the responsibility of authenticating the research and should be able to defend it in the face of any dispute or charges of misconduct.

Authors and co-authors must necessarily fulfil all four criteria mentioned by ICMJE, which are as follows:^[1]

1. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work

2. Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content

3. Final approval of the version to be published

4. 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.

To begin with, the research team should make sure that all the authors and co-authors fulfil the criteria recommended by the ICMJE. Further, they should also take care to see that all those who fulfil the criteria are not left out. It is a misconception that editors play a significant role in the inclusion or placement of names of authors in the publication. On the contrary, it is the sole responsibility of the authors, their team and their institution. At times, there are authors who contribute partially to the study/publication but do not fulfill all the criteria. Their contribution should be duly acknowledged, but they cannot be labelled as authors/co-authors.

Taking the help of artificial intelligence (AI) at any stage of research also needs to be acknowledged at an appropriate place, making a mention of the extent of help taken. Under no circumstances should AI be included as a ‘co-author’ because AI cannot own the public responsibility of the research.

In recent times, it has been noted that there is an increasing trend of including the Institutional Head of the Department as a co-author, even though they do not meet the authorship criteria. This trend of ‘Gift Authorship’ should be avoided at all costs. Similarly, including some big names as ‘Guest Author’ is also inappropriate.

I would urge the readers to view this editorial as a guide in formulating the authorship list for the publication of their research, so that their enthusiasm for ‘Publish and Flourish’ does not end up in ‘Publish and Perish’, if caught in misconduct of publication.