According to the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), all individuals designated as authors should meet all four established criteria for authorship. Furthermore, anyone who meets these four criteria must be identified as an author, while those who do not meet all four criteria should be appropriately acknowledged for their contributions.
Any changes to authorship, such as the order of authors, addition, or removal of authors, after the initial submission of a manuscript, must receive written approval from all listed authors, adhering to the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that all co-authors are informed and agree with the proposed changes. In cases where there is a disagreement among authors regarding authorship and a resolution cannot be reached internally, the authors are required to seek mediation and resolution from their respective institution(s). It is not the responsibility of the journal editors to resolve disputes concerning authorship.
If a change in authorship is necessary after the article has been published, such modifications can only be made through the publication of an Erratum, ensuring that the correction is formally and transparently documented.