Authorship · Reference
What is the ICMJE?
The ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) is a working group of medical-journal editors whose Recommendations — including the widely used four authorship criteria — set the dominant standards for the conduct, reporting and publication of medical research.
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What the ICMJE is
The ICMJE began in 1978 when a small group of general medical-journal editors met in Vancouver — which is why its early output is still known as the "Vancouver group" recommendations and why the associated reference style is called the Vancouver system. The committee is deliberately small and meets to develop and maintain shared guidance, but its influence extends far beyond its membership: thousands of journals state that they follow the ICMJE Recommendations.
The ICMJE is not a membership body that journals join in a formal sense; rather, journals can list themselves as following the Recommendations. Its authority comes from broad voluntary adoption across biomedical publishing.
The Recommendations
The committee’s central document is the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, periodically updated. It covers authorship and contributorship, the roles and responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers and sponsors, conflict-of-interest disclosure, the protection of research participants, trial registration, overlapping publication, and corrections and retractions. For most researchers the best-known part is the four authorship criteria, but the Recommendations are far broader than authorship alone.
Authorship under the ICMJE
The ICMJE sets out four criteria for authorship — substantial contribution, drafting or critical revision, final approval, and accountability — all of which must be met. It also addresses non-author contributors (who should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors), group and collaborative authorship, and the responsibilities of the corresponding author. Importantly, the ICMJE recognises that the CRediT taxonomy complements its criteria: CRediT describes contributions, while the criteria determine authorship.
The ICMJE disclosure form
The ICMJE also maintains a standard disclosure-of-interest form that many journals require authors to complete, declaring financial and non-financial relationships that could be perceived as influencing the work. Standardising disclosure this way makes competing interests easier to report consistently across journals. The form, like the Recommendations, is freely available from the ICMJE website.
Key facts
At a glance
- Full name: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
- Origin: formed 1978 in Vancouver ("Vancouver group")
- Key output: Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work
- Authorship: defines four criteria, all of which must be met
- Also covers: disclosure, trial registration, peer review, retractions
- Adoption: thousands of journals state they follow the Recommendations
Common questions
FAQ
What does ICMJE stand for?+
ICMJE stands for the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, a working group of medical-journal editors that publishes widely followed recommendations on authorship and publication ethics.
What are the ICMJE guidelines?+
The ICMJE Recommendations are a reference document covering authorship, conflict-of-interest disclosure, peer review, trial registration, corrections and retractions, and the responsibilities of authors, editors, reviewers and sponsors in medical publishing.
Why is the ICMJE called the Vancouver group?+
The committee was first convened in Vancouver in 1978, so its recommendations and the associated reference style are still referred to as the Vancouver group recommendations and the Vancouver system.
Do I have to follow the ICMJE to publish?+
Not universally, but thousands of biomedical journals require or recommend compliance with the ICMJE Recommendations, so for most medical research the criteria and disclosure expectations apply in practice.
What is the ICMJE disclosure form?+
It is a standard form the ICMJE maintains for declaring financial and non-financial competing interests; many journals require authors to complete it so that disclosures are reported consistently.
