Publish

We will help with all statistical aspects of manuscripts, including tables, figures, methods, results, and the discussion section. To make sure that your manuscript has all components recommended by STROBE, CONSORT or other guidelines (see References below), you may wish to review their published checklists.

Authorship Guidelines

This document outlines the requirements for including SDBC consultants as authors. Collaborating statisticians and SDBC consultants typically qualify for authorship on manuscripts and abstracts submitted to journals and conferences by meeting the criteria set by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) requirements. ICMJE defines authorship as meeting the following four criteria. Bullet items under each criterion provide examples of how a SDBC consultant could meet that criterion.

1. Substantial, direct, intellectual contribution to the conception and design, analysis and/or interpretation of data
   
   • Assisting with study design and providing power calculations
   • Assisting in the development of a survey
   • Providing consultation on theoretical background
   • Assisting in the development of focus groups scripts and procedures
   • Assisting in the construction of interview questions and procedures
   • Developing the statistical analysis plan
   • Performing the statistical analysis
   • Performing qualitative analysis
   • Interpretation of the results
2. Writing the manuscript and/or critically revising drafts for essential intellectual content
   
   • Drafting the methods section
   • Drafting the results section
   • Critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual contact such as interpretation of results and limitations
   • Reviewing relevant theoretical background
3. Approval of the final version that will be submitted for publication
   
   • A SDBC consultant will be given the opportunity to approve the final version that will be submitted for publication
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work
   
   • By approving the final version of abstracts or manuscripts, the statistician(s) and/or consultant(s) assume responsibility for the integrity of the data analysis and the interpretation of the results including all statistical summaries (such as tables and figures)

Authorship is considered justified if the above four criteria are met. Furthermore, ICMJE states that “all individuals who meet the first criterion should have the opportunity to participate in the review, drafting, and final approval of the manuscript.”

In general, authorship is merited and expected for PHR/SDBC statisticians and collaborators. Exceptions may be made if the number of authors is limited by the journal, but please discuss with the PHR/SDBC collaborators.  The criteria for authorship by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors can be found online at: https://medicine.utah.edu/ccts/sdbc/publish.php.

PHR/SDBC Policy requires that if PHR/SDBC collaborators are co-authors on manuscripts, posters and abstracts be made available to PHR/SDBC statisticians and collaborators with reasonable time (1 week+ for papers) prior to submission

NEJM, JAMA and other well-known biomedical journals adapt the ICMJE recommendations and most journals require at least one author must be able to take responsibility for the integrity of data analysis and scientific interpretation of the results.

Most papers merit the inclusion of 1 or 2 statistician authors, but more than 2 would be appropriate when the workload is substantial.

Financial support to the SDBC for research or statistical consulting does not preclude authorship. Authorship is determined by intellectual contributions and scientific assistance provided.

The above authorship guidelines are reviewed periodically for any change in research conduct and authorship practice.

* Please send us the manuscript for final review prior to submission. *

Resources

STROBE guidelines (observational studies)

• Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): Explanation and Elaboration. PLoS Med. 2007;4(10):e297.
• Diagnostic tests (STARD)
• Tumor markers (REMARK)
• Genetic associations (STREGA)
• Meta-analysis (MOOSE)

CONSORT guidelines (experimental studies)

• Improving the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials: the CONSORT statement. JAMA. 1996 Aug 28;276(8):637-9
  
  • Reporting of Noninferiority and Equivalence Randomized Trials: An Extension of the CONSORT Statement. JAMA. 2006 Mar 8;295(10):1152-60.
  • Reporting of Noninferiority and Equivalence Randomized Trials: Extension of the CONSORT 2010 Statement. JAMA. 2012 Dec 26;308(24):2594-604.
• Improving the quality of reports of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials: the QUOROM statement. QUOROM Group. Br J Surg. 2000 Nov;87(11):1448-54.

Study Quality Assessment Tools

• https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/study-quality-assessment-tools

General References:

1. Vanderbilt Biostatistics Authorship Policy
2. Harvard Medical School Authorship Guidelines
3. Society for Neuroscience, Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication
4. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Authorship Guidelines