Changes To Authorship

The editors of this journal generally will not consider changes to authorship once a manuscript has been submitted. It is important that authors carefully consider the authorship list and order of authors and provide a definitive author list at original submission.

The policy of this journal around authorship changes:  

• All authors must be listed in the manuscript and their details entered into the submission system.  
• Additions, deletions or rearrangements of author names in the authorship list are highly discouraged and will only be considered if approved by the journal editor. Changes made after an editorial accept decision will not be considered.
• Requests to change authorship should be made by the corresponding author, who must provide the reason for the request to the journal editor with written confirmation from all authors, including any authors being added or removed, that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. 
• All requests to change authorship must be submitted using this form when submitting a revision. Requests which do not comply with the instructions outlined in the form will not be considered.
• Only in exceptional circumstances will the journal editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors post acceptance. 
• Publication of the manuscript may be paused while a change in authorship request is being considered. 
• Any authorship change requests approved by the journal editor will result in a corrigendum if the manuscript has already been published.  
• Any unauthorised authorship changes may result in the rejection of the article, or retraction, if the article has already been published.  
• If a co-author passes away prior to submission or during peer-review, the remaining authors may choose to place their name within the Acknowledgements section. In cases where the deceased author was the sole author of a submission and we are notified by another party, the manuscript will be withdrawn. 
• If a co-author becomes unwell or incapacitated during the peer-review process such that they are unable to provide final approval for submission and/or publication, the submission will be placed on hold until the co-author is able to approve the publication.