Authorship and Contribution Policy

The journal Horizonte Sanitario considers it essential to ensure an ethical, fair, and transparent assignment of authorship in the articles it publishes, in strict accordance with the Code of Conduct of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Authorship Criteria (ICMJE). For a researcher to be listed as an author, they must meet the four criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE):

  • Have made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the article, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the data.
  • Have participated in the design of the research or in the critical review of its intellectual content.
  • Have been involved in the approval of the final version to be published.
  • Be able to take responsibility for all aspects of the article, ensuring that issues related to accuracy or integrity are properly investigated and resolved.

For submissions, a maximum limit of six authors per article is established. It should also be noted that simply securing funding, collecting data, or providing general supervision of the research group are not, on their own, sufficient criteria to justify authorship.

2. Declaration of Contributions (CRediT Taxonomy). To clarify individual contributions, reduce disputes, and highlight how each researcher contributes, Horizonte Sanitario requires the use of the CRediT (Contributor Role Taxonomy) taxonomy. Authors must specify the extent of their contributions in the initial submission letter. This statement must be written using the initials of the authors’ first and last names corresponding to the 14 CRediT roles in which they participated. Example format: Conceptualization: P.A.B.C., P.J.E.L.; Data curation: P.A.B.C.; Formal analysis: P.A.B.C., P.J.E.L.; Research: P.A.B.C.; Original Drafting: P.A.B.C., P.J.E.L.; Review and Editing: F.M.L.M.

3. Corresponding Author. Every manuscript must formally designate a corresponding author. This author assumes responsibility for managing communication with the journal throughout the editorial process, ensuring that all co-authors agree to the submission, have reviewed the data, and have approved the final version of the manuscript.

 4. Changes to Authorship. To preserve the integrity of the review process, Horizonte Sanitario enforces a strict policy in this regard: no changes or additions to authorship will be accepted after the manuscript has been submitted. Any unjustified request to alter authorship or attempts to falsely list co-authors who do not meet the criteria (an unethical practice) may result in the automatic rejection of the manuscript.

5. Responsibilities and Conflict Resolution

  • The content of the articles is the sole responsibility of the authors.
  • The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject articles if the authors do not provide satisfactory explanations in the submission letter to justify compliance with the authorship criteria.
  • In the event of a dispute over authorship, or if there is suspicion of fraud or inappropriate authorship, the editor will conduct a thorough investigation in accordance with the decision trees and guidelines recommended by COPE.