AUTHORSHIP
The AMSJ defines authorship as per the criteria recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which includes:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
- Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
- Final approval of the version to be published; AND
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
All those identified as authors should meet all four criteria, and all those who meet this criteria should be identified as authors. It is the author’s responsibility to decide on the listed authors and the order.
As a guideline, supervisors are generally identified as the senior (last) author of a manuscript, with the primary author being listed first.
The AMSJ accepts co-first authorships in the event multiple authors contributed equally to the work.
Authors should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific parts of the work. Those who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged with specified contributions.
All submissions must be the primary work of a medical student at an Australian university (except for letters). The student must be able to take public responsibility for the content and the student is the designated corresponding author with following responsibilities listed on the ICMJE:
- Primary contact with the journal during the submission and peer review process and also after publication for critiques and additional information if required
- Completion of the administrative requirements by providing (but not limited to)
- Details of authorship
- Ethics committee approval (refer to ‘Research Involving Animals and Humans’ section below)
- Clinical trial registration documentation (if indicated)
- Conflicts of interest forms and statements
If authorship is disputed, this should be resolved at the institution(s) where the work has been performed according to the ICMJE recommendations. If changes to authorship are requested for appropriate reasons, agreement from all authors is required in writing following the COPE flowchart.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
At the time of submission, the corresponding author will provide conflicts of interest statements.
Before publication, each author of the article submitted to AMSJ must provide the completed ICMJE conflict of interest form, declaring (as outlined in the form):
- Authors’ conflicts of interest; and
- Sources of support for the work, including sponsor names along with explanations of the role of those sources if any in study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; the decision to submit the report for publication; or a statement declaring that the supporting source had no such involvement; and
- Whether the authors had access to the study data, with an explanation of the nature and extent of access, including whether access is on-going.
The Australian Medical Student Journal recommends current staff do not submit articles for consideration of publication. However, if articles are submitted, the author will remain de-identified during the selection and editing of articles.
Editorial and Reviewers’ Conflict of Interest
At the time of the invitation, reviewers are asked to disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect their review.
Editors and reviewers should not be involved in making decisions about or reviewing manuscripts in which they may have a conflict of interest. This includes, but not limited to, if an editor or a reviewer has:
- worked in the same institution (e.g. worked in the same research institute at a similar time, not attended the same university)
- current/recent collaboration with an author, including recent publications and/or grants
- a personal relationship with the author
Editorial Decisions
AMSJ editors will ensure all relevant conflicts of interest are declared in publication.
AMSJ editors will ensure unbiased reviews by not seeking reviewers with conflicts of interests.
PLAGIARISM
Prior to the publication, all articles are run through the plagiarism check via the plagiarism detection software (iThenticate).
If plagiarism is suspected, AMSJ will take action in accordance with the COPE flowchart.
CONFIDENTIALITY
In accordance with the COPE guidelines, the AMSJ ascertain the integrity of the peer review process.
- The AMSJ operates a de-identified peer review system, where identities of both authors and reviewers are protected.
- Both editors and reviewers have responsibility to ensure that all submitted manuscripts remain confidential until publication. This includes but not limited to:
- not sharing submission materials and information with third parties.
- not using or taking advantage of the submission materials and information to gain personal benefit.
OVERLAPPING PUBLICATIONS
Duplicate Submission and Publication
The AMSJ follows the COPE flowchart for duplicate publications.
Duplicate publication is the publication of the same material more than once. Authors agree that when they submit, their work is not submitted for consideration at another journal and has not been previously published (see section 4.5 for exceptions). If an author publishes with the AMSJ, this cannot be published elsewhere.
Copyright
Authors will retain copyright of their submissions. By submitting, authors are only providing the AMSJ with a license to publish the submission as the first publisher. This obliges the author to mention the AMSJ as a source if they later republish the submission on another platform. Authors published in the AMSJ are free to submit to other journals that accept previously published work. However, authors should realise that they may not be able to submit their published work to other journals that only accept original work not previously published elsewhere.
Manuscript Based on the Same Database
In accordance with the ICMJE, manuscripts analysing the same data set but with different analytic methods and/or conclusions must cite the primary publication.
ACCEPTABLE SECONDARY PUBLICATION
As outlined in the ICMJE, secondary publication may be justifiable provided that the following conditions are met:
- The authors have received approval from the editors of both journals (the editor concerned with secondary publication must have access to the primary version).
- The priority of the primary publication is respected by a publication interval negotiated by both editors with the authors.
- The paper for secondary publication is intended for a different group of readers; an abbreviated version could be sufficient.
- The secondary version faithfully reflects the data and interpretations of the primary version.
- The secondary version informs readers, peers, and documenting agencies that the paper has been published in whole or in part elsewhere—for example, with a note that might read, “This article is based on a study first reported in the [journal title, with full reference]”—and the secondary version cites the primary reference.
- The title of the secondary publication should indicate that it is a secondary publication (complete or abridged republication or translation) of a primary publication.
RESEARCH INVOLVING ANIMALS AND HUMANS
Studies involving animals and humans should include a statement on ethics approval by an ethics committee or institutional review board.
Studies involving humans should include a statement regarding consent to participate in research. Case reports should be de-identified. When submitting to the AMSJ, authors acknowledge consent has been obtained for the case to be published via the submission form, and authors should retain a signed consent form.
Updated May 2017, V8I2