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class="hero__bottom"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="page-main"> <div class="page-main__row"> <div class="page-main__col"> <main> <section id="content" class="region region-content"> <div id="block-system-main" class="block block-system clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="node-case node node-case view-mode-full "> <div class="node-case__left node-case__fields"> <div class="field field--short"> <div class="field-label">Case number:</div> <div class="field-item">24-12</div> </div> </div> <div class="node-case__body"> <div class="sidebar sidebar--offset"> <div class="sidebar__body"> <div class="node-case__fields"> <div class="field field-name-field-anonymised-text-of-the-ca field-type-text-long field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Case text (Anonymised): </div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>An article was submitted to our journal with two authors listed. Proofs were approved with these two authors listed. However, two months after publication the corresponding author claimed that the article had actually been submitted on the website with six authors. The journal considers the final list of authors to be those listed on the title page at the first submission step.</p> <p>The authors claimed that the corresponding author did not have that much experience in article publication previously, and so did not pay attention to the list of authors. This is how the other authors' names were missed. It should be noted that the other six authors are included on their profile now. However, it is not possible to follow the exact date that these names are added to the profile.</p> <p><em>Questions</em><br /> 1. Is this a legitimate reason to add the extra authors, or should they be added to the article as a correction? </p> <p>2. Is there any other action you would recommend?</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-advice field-type-text-long field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Advice: </div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><em>Advice on this case is from a small number of COPE Council Members. Most cases on the COPE website are presented to the <a href="https://publicationethics.org/copeforum">COPE Forum</a> where advice is offered by a wider group of COPE Members and COPE Council Members. Advice on individual cases is not formal COPE guidance.</em></p> <p>The editor should start by trying to ascertain if this was a genuine mistake. For example, were all six authors on the originally submitted manuscript files but missed from the subsequent meta data? If the journal required an Author Contribution Statement section in the article, then information from this statement could also support the contributions of a wider group of people.<br /> <br /> If there is no evidence of this type, then the journal should exercise caution in allowing this many new names, given the number of opportunities the corresponding author had to realise the error. The journal should ask for an explanation of what roles the ‘missing’ authors had in the preparation of the manuscript, and be satisfied that they do qualify for authorship. They could also ask why the missing names were not noted during the publication process, assuming those authors participated in responding to the referee reports and looked at the proofs. If the authors insist on the additions then the journal should follow the COPE flowchart on adding authors after publication. All current authors must indicate their agreement to the additions, and the journal should review conflicts of interest and funding declarations to ensure all necessary disclosures are included in the correction or erratum. The correction or erratum should clearly specify what the individuals did to merit inclusion as authors, and an explanation about how they were missed could also be mandated, if the journal wished. </p> <p>If the journal has any ongoing concerns then the case should be handed over to the institution to arbitrate. </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-resolution field-type-list-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Resolution: </div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Case Closed</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-9 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Year: </div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4478">2024</a></div></div></div><div class="field field--classifications field--short"><div class="field-label">Core practices:</div><div class="item-list"><ul><li class="first"><a href="/authorship" title="View all "Authorship and contributorship" content">Authorship and contributorship</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="/postpublication" title="View all "Post-publication discussions and corrections" content">Post-publication discussions and corrections</a></li> </ul></div></div> </div> <aside class="sidebar__aside"> <div class="sidebar__aside__col"> <div class="sidebar__aside__inner"> <div class="contextual-links-region"><h3>COPE Forum</h3><div class="entity entity-bean bean-editable"> <div > <div class="field field-name-field-block-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>COPE Members:<br /> do you have a publication ethics case and need help with next steps?<br /> <a href="https://publicationethics.org/copeforum">Submit your case</a></p> <p>Registration is now open for the 9 December Forum where new cases are discussed. 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