Every listed co-author of a document or manuscript submitted to the DJPH must have participated sufficiently in the work to take responsibility for the content, and be willing to provide any relevant data upon request. All authors must certify that they have contributed substantially to:
- the concept and design or analysis and interpretation of data,
- the drafting or revision of the manuscript, and
- the approval of the final version.
Under criteria (1) and (2), the exact contributions of each author must be specified. Authors must further certify that the manuscript represents valid work and that neither the submitted manuscript nor one with substantially similar content under their authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere (exceptions are made for abstracts, reports from scientific meetings, and for classic papers that have historical and contemporary value). Manuscripts that have been previously posted on the Internet in their entirety or that are readily accessible via an Internet search are considered published and cannot be accepted for publication in the DJPH without substantially new data, analysis, and/or interpretation.
The number of co-authors is limited to six (6) in most cases. When manuscripts with more than six authors are submitted, the editors will consider reasonable explanations for the legitimacy of the claim. Manuscripts or documents with more than six authors who are not part of a formal writing group must be disclosed in the cover letter. All authors must be added to the submission survey in the “Secondary Author Information” section. Failure to include all authors at this step may result in a manuscript or article being withdrawn post-acceptance. Group authorship is permitted in instances of large collaborations and multi-site clinical trials.
This page has been adapted with permission from that of the American Journal of Public Health and/or the American Public Health Association. The Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association is Delaware’s affiliate to the American Public Health Association.