Enago Life Sciences Medical
Publications Policy

Enago Life Sciences is dedicated to supporting the creation of a diverse array of publications within the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Our offerings encompass manuscripts, abstracts, congress presentations, and enhanced publication content including publication extenders. We provide comprehensive medical writing assistance and scientific insight, actively participating throughout the publication journey—from strategic planning at the inception of a project to the submission, publication of the final piece, and support at international congresses. Enago Life Sciences is committed to crafting scientific publications that epitomize the highest standards of quality, integrity, and transparency. In pursuit of this commitment, we have established a publications policy that encapsulates our foundational publication principles, closely aligned with the AMWA-EMWA-ISMPP joint position statement on the role of professional medical writers[1].

Role of Enago Life Sciences

To ensure the utmost quality, integrity, and transparency in all publications, Enago Life Sciences adheres to the following guidelines:

1. All publications will be developed in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP2022) guidelines.
2. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations will guide authorship eligibility. The ICMJE stipulates that authors must meet four essential criteria related to substantial contributions, drafting and revising, final approval, and accountability for the work.
3. Adequate time will be allocated for author review and approval processes in the publication planning timelines.
4. Publications will conform to relevant reporting guidelines available on the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research (EQUATOR) Network, such as CONSORT for randomized controlled trials; STROBE for observational studies etc.
5. Conference abstracts and presentations, especially those industry-sponsored or -funded, will adhere to Good Practice for Conference Abstracts and Presentations (GPCAP) recommendations.
6. Compliance with all intellectual property and copyright laws will be ensured.
7. All communications with authors, clients, and journals will be accurately and completely documented, utilizing publication management software in line with relevant client policies.
8. Clients and authors will be made aware of and understand their responsibilities regarding industry standards and best practice guidelines. Enago Life Sciences will provide guidance in case of deviations from these standards.

Role of Study Sponsors and Authors

1. Authors should have full access to all pertinent study materials.
2. Redundancy in secondary publications should be avoided, and data splitting must be justified.
3. Intellectual input from authors is required before and during content development.
4. The final text must reflect and be approved by all authors.
5. The choice of journal or congress must be appropriate.
6. Medical writing support must be acknowledged, including the nature of the support and the details of the medical writer.
7. Funding sources for medical writing support must be disclosed.
8. Potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed in accordance with publication guidelines.
9. Data sharing statements for clinical trials must be included as per the 2024 ICMJE recommendations.
10. Contributors meeting the ICMJE authorship criteria, including professional medical writers, should be recognized as co-authors.

Enago Life Sciences Authorship Policy

1. In line with the ICMJE recommendations, medical writers typically do not qualify for authorship; however, substantial contributions in certain areas may warrant authorship eligibility.
2. Enago Life Sciences may receive compensation for medical writing services, but individuals will not receive direct payment for authorship-related activities.
3. Acknowledgements statement example for our clients:

   "The authors thank [name of medical writer/s] of Enago Life Sciences for providing medical writing/editorial support [specify and/or expand as appropriate]."

Staff Grooming

Enago Life Sciences places a high value on staff training and grooming to ensure adherence to industry standards:

1. Our Publications division staff possess in-depth knowledge of GPP2022 guidelines, ICMJE authorship criteria, and other relevant reporting guidelines.
2. Staff are encouraged to stay current with medical communications ethics and best practices through conference participation, external and internal training, including from our ISMPP Certified Medical Publication Professional (CMPP™) certified senior team.
3. Knowledge is shared internally to align all Enago Life Sciences employees involved in publication development with standard operating procedures.

For further inquiries regarding our scientific publications policy, please contact us at services@ls.enago.com.

References

1. AMWA-EMWA-ISMPP joint position statement on the role of professional medical writers. January 2017. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03007995.2021.1900365
2. DeTora LM, Toroser D, Sykes A, et al. Good Publication Practice (GPP) Guidelines for Company-Sponsored Biomedical Research: 2022 Update. Ann Intern Med. 2022;175:1298-1304
3. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing
4. https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/
5. GPCAP: https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41073-019-0070-x
6. https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf