The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care (Neth. J. Crit. Care) follows the authorship and contributorship principles recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authorship must accurately reflect substantial contributions to the work, and all listed authors must accept accountability for the integrity of the research and publication.

1. Criteria for Authorship

According to ICMJE recommendations, authorship should be based on meeting all four of the following criteria:

1. Making substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
2. Contributing to drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
3. Approving the final version of the manuscript before publication.
4. Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work and ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who do not meet all applicable authorship criteria should not be listed as authors.

2. Contributorship

Contributors who have made meaningful contributions but do not meet all authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged.

Examples may include individuals who provided:

• Technical assistance
• Administrative or logistical support
• General supervision
• Language or editorial assistance
• Data collection without substantial intellectual contribution
• Other specific contributions that do not meet the full authorship criteria

Authors should provide a clear description of individual contributions where requested by the journal.

3. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the authors and the editorial office.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

• Communicating with the journal.
• Providing complete and accurate author information.
• Confirming that all authors have approved the manuscript.
• Ensuring that all authors meet the journal's authorship requirements.
• Coordinating responses to editorial and reviewer comments.
• Ensuring that required declarations, ethical approvals, consent statements, and conflict-of-interest disclosures are provided.
• Remaining available to address questions regarding the published work.

4. Author Accountability

All authors are collectively responsible for the integrity of the work and should understand the contribution they have made to the manuscript.

Authors should cooperate with the journal in investigating questions concerning research methods, data integrity, authorship, ethical approval, or other publication-related concerns.

5. Changes in Authorship

Any change in authorship after manuscript submission, including the addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors, must be properly justified.

Requests for authorship changes should normally include:

• A clear explanation for the requested change.
• Written agreement from all affected authors.
• Confirmation from the corresponding author.
• Any additional documentation requested by the editorial office.

The journal may delay editorial processing until an authorship dispute is resolved.

6. Authorship Disputes

The journal does not normally determine disputes concerning authorship or institutional contributions. Where a dispute cannot be resolved among the authors, the journal may request that the relevant institution or responsible authority investigate the matter.

The journal may suspend consideration or publication of the manuscript while an authorship dispute is being investigated.

7. Guest, Gift, and Ghost Authorship

The journal does not permit:

• Guest authorship: Listing individuals as authors who have not made qualifying contributions.
• Gift authorship: Including an individual as an author as a courtesy, because of seniority, position, or other non-contributory reasons.
• Ghost authorship: Omitting individuals who made qualifying contributions to the work.

All authorship must be based on genuine contributions and accountability.

8. Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged with their permission.

Authors should ensure that acknowledgments do not imply endorsement of the research or conclusions by individuals who have not reviewed or approved the manuscript.

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI tools and generative AI systems do not qualify for authorship because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and accountability of the published work.

Authors remain fully responsible for any content generated or assisted by AI tools and should disclose relevant AI use in accordance with the journal's applicable policy and current ICMJE recommendations.

10. Author Responsibility

By submitting a manuscript to the Netherlands Journal of Critical Care, authors confirm that the authorship information is accurate, that all listed authors have approved the submission, and that all authors accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.

The journal reserves the right to investigate suspected authorship misconduct and may take appropriate action, including requesting institutional investigation, delaying publication, rejecting a manuscript, or issuing a post-publication correction where necessary.

11. Compliance with COPE and ICMJE

The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care applies the relevant authorship and contributorship principles of ICMJE and COPE to promote transparency, fairness, accountability, and integrity throughout the publication process.