Authorship · Reference
What is a corresponding author?
The corresponding author is the named author who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during submission, peer review and publication, and who acts as the point of contact for readers after the paper appears.
The step most authors miss
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What the corresponding author actually does
The corresponding author is a procedural and ethical role rather than a measure of intellectual contribution. They submit the manuscript, handle correspondence with the editor and reviewers, sign publishing agreements and licence forms on behalf of the author group, and ensure that administrative requirements — ethics approvals, trial registration, data-availability statements, conflict-of-interest disclosures — are complete and accurate.
After publication the corresponding author remains the public point of contact. They field requests for data, materials and clarification, and they are usually the author a journal approaches first if a correction, expression of concern or retraction becomes necessary. The ICMJE notes that although the corresponding author takes primary responsibility for communication, all authors share responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole.
Corresponding author versus first and senior author
These three labels answer different questions and frequently overlap. The first author is conventionally the person who did the most hands-on work and usually drafted the manuscript. The senior or last author is typically the principal investigator who supervised the project and secured funding. The corresponding author is whoever takes responsibility for the journal correspondence — often the first author in early-career-led work, or the senior author in laboratory-group work, but it can be any qualifying author. A paper can name more than one corresponding author where genuine shared responsibility exists.
How the corresponding author is identified
In the published article the corresponding author is flagged in the byline or footnote, usually with a contact email and increasingly with an ORCID iD. Persistent identifiers matter here: a stable ORCID iD keeps the contact reachable even after the author changes institution and their email address lapses. Journals require the corresponding author to confirm, on behalf of the group, that every listed author has approved the final version and agreed to be accountable for it.
Why the role carries real accountability
Being the corresponding author is not an honorary title. Because they sign submission declarations on behalf of all authors, the corresponding author is the person editors hold to account if authorship is disputed, if an author was added or omitted improperly, or if a competing interest was not disclosed. For that reason the role should be held by someone who genuinely qualifies as an author and is willing to take on the communication and accountability burden — not allocated by seniority alone.
Key facts
At a glance
- Primary duty: communication with the journal at submission, review and after publication
- Accountability: confirms all authors qualify and have approved the final version
- Not a ranking: signals responsibility, not amount of contribution
- Can be plural: more than one corresponding author is permitted where justified
- Best practice: identified with a stable email and an ORCID iD
- Authority: ICMJE Recommendations, roles and responsibilities section
Common questions
FAQ
Is the corresponding author the same as the first author?+
Not necessarily. The first author is usually the person who did the most work and drafted the paper; the corresponding author is whoever takes responsibility for communicating with the journal. They are often the same person in early-career-led work, but the corresponding author can be any qualifying author, including the senior author.
Is the corresponding author the most important author?+
No. The designation reflects who handles correspondence and accountability for the submission, not who contributed most. Relative contribution is signalled by author order and, increasingly, by a CRediT contributor-roles statement rather than by who corresponds.
Can a paper have two corresponding authors?+
Yes. Many journals allow co-corresponding authors where two people genuinely share responsibility for the work and its communication. Each is listed with their own contact details.
What are the corresponding author’s responsibilities after publication?+
They remain the point of contact for readers, respond to requests for data or materials, and coordinate any post-publication corrections, expressions of concern or retractions with the journal on behalf of the author group.
Does the corresponding author have to be the principal investigator?+
No. While the senior PI is often the corresponding author in laboratory research, the role can be held by any author who qualifies under the relevant authorship criteria and is willing to take on the communication and accountability duties.
