We applaud Maureen Anthony (Anthony, 2015) for sharing Kennedy and colleagues' original research findings about honorary and ghost authorship (Kennedy et al., 2014) and for providing readers with the current International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship. We agree that the prevalence of unethical authorship practices suggests the need for education on proper attribution and wish to clarify a related issue.
The preferred definition of ghost authorship is an individual who satisfies authorship criteria but is not credited as an author (Rennie & Flanagin, 1994). Medical writers are sometimes cited as examples of ghost authors; however, the prevalence is low because medical writers rarely fulfill all four ICMJE authorship criteria, all of which must be satisfied. Although medical writers may meet at least part of the second criterion (drafting and critical revision of the work), they will rarely be involved enough in the conception, design, and conduct of the work to qualify as an author (first criterion), and thus cannot be accountable for all aspects of the work (third criterion). As a result of these limitations, the final criterion (approval of the version published) is beyond the writer's remit.
The ICMJE specifically identifies writing assistance, if performed without fulfilling other requirements, as an example of an activity that does not justify authorship (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, 2014). Many organizations consider medical writing support to be acceptable, provided that it is properly and fully acknowledged, including funding and any other potential conflicts of interest. These organizations represent many different stakeholders, including journal editors (e.g., Committee on Publication Ethics [http://www.publicationethics.org], Council of Science Editors [http://www.councilscienceeditors.org], ICMJE [http://www.icmje.org], World Association of Medical Editors [http://www.wame.org]), medical writers (e.g., American Medical Writers Association [http://www.amwa.org], European Medical Writers Association [http://www.emwa.org], International Society of Publication Professionals [http://www.ismpp.org]), pharmaceutical companies (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America [http://www.PhRMA.org]), academia (Association of American Medical Colleges, 2008), and clinical medicine (Lo et al., 2009).
As members of the Global Alliance of Publication Professionals (http://www.gappteam.org), we encourage authors to become familiar with authorship criteria and to take advantage of publication resources offered by the ICMJE and the Enhancing Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR; http://www.equator-network.org) network. We also encourage authors to comply with best reporting guidelines and to acknowledge individuals who make substantial contributions that do not fulfill authorship criteria. Authors who have unanswered questions or concerns may wish to seek clarification from the relevant journal editor.
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