Publication and authorship rules of SSG

SSG must be mentioned in all publications based on data from the SSG Register and SSG treatment protocols.

Within 6 months after release of the final data of a SSG study the study coordinator sends a manuscript suggestion to the SSG board. In case this requirement cannot be met, the board may either postpone the deadline or appoint another first author. Authorship should follow the SSG rules as indicated below. The SSG board has the final decision on author and co-authorship of SSG publications, with the exception on prospective clinical trials where a steering committee with responsible researchers is established, in which case this committee decides on the author list.

In case of abstracts/full papers with limitations to the number of authors (imposed by the targeted journal), the first author should be the study coordinator. The study coordinator in collaboration with the SSG board should appoint the other co-authors according to the SSG rules as indicated below. Note, however, the exception regarding prospective clinical trials with a steering comittee. All centers contributing patients should be acknowledged, either as co-authors or in an acknowledgement, as deemed appropriate (see International committee of medical Journals Editors, http://www.icmje.org/).

1. Prospective studies

The SSG board decides which studies will be performed and appoints a study coordinator for each study. The study coordinator should come from an active member institution. In all study protocols publications rules according to SSG should be specified. Typically the study coordinator is responsible for the protocol, follow-up of the study etc. and will be the first author. The SSG board appoints, together with the primary author, others for co-authorship based on scientific contribution to the study, but this task may be delegated to a steering committee, which is adequate for long-lasting prospective clinical trials where this committee is much more knowledgeable than the board.

Authorship for pathology, imaging and translational research studies should be decided by the SSG board if there is no steering committee for the trial.

All authors are expected to be involved actively in the manuscript writing, and must finally approve the version to be published.

2. Retrospective analysis papers (based on the SSG register)

When a planned project is expected to include data from the register, the researcher should submit an outline of the project to the board for a review. The leading researcher should come from an active member institution and will be the first author of the publication. Before a decision is made by the board the research project will be evaluated by a group consisting of one representative from each Nordic country (two representatives from Sweden), in addition to the chairman of the central register. The members of the group will be suggested by the central register subcommittee and confirmed by the SSG board. This group will then present a proposal to the board. In principle co-authorship should be planned at this time point.

Authorship for pathology, imaging and translational research studies should be decided by the SSG board.

All authors are expected to be involved actively in the manuscript writing, and must finally approve the version to be published.

Allt centers contributing patients should be acknowledged, either as co-authors or in an ,acknowledgement according as deemed appropriate (see International committee of medical Journals Editors, http://www.icmje.org/). Furthermore, SSG should be acknowledged in all publications where any data from the register have been used.

3. Reviews

Reviews not only based on SSG data, but based on general SSG expertise and putting SSG results into perspective, the leading researcher for that specific review will be first author. Since those reviews are often based on an invitation to an individual (the leading researcher), that individual will decide on co-authorship.

Last updated February, 2017
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