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Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Network Authorship Guidelines

The principal investigator (PI) of a project is ultimately responsible for the ethical conduct of research. This obligation includes appropriate acknowledgement of project authors and contributors. In a multicenter study, authorship criteria that are fair and transparent should be determined early in the life cycle of the project and agreed to in writing, ideally at the time of study site recruitment. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ Authorship and Contributorship Guidelines provide a basis for mutual agreement and are a requirement for publication in most journals. Key among the ICMJE Guidelines is four basic criteria for authorship to be based on:

  • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  • Final approval of the version to be published; AND
  • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All people listed as authors must meet these requirements, and all people who meet these requirements must be listed as authors. Individuals that make substantial contribution to the project should be, at a minimum, acknowledged as contributors.

ToxIC recognizes that the ideal authorship structure is not the same for every study, and does not prescribe a specific authorship structure. All project proposals should include a clear statement of how authorship will be determined. Once approved, that statement will be available to all potential contributors to the project. The ToxIC Committee and the ACMT Research Committee members are available to provide mentorship and guidance.

 

Categories of ToxIC Data

The ToxIC Registry consists of a Core Registry (upper level data) and multiple Subregistries (see About ToxIC Data). Core Registry project requests may be made through the web form link below.  Subregistries have existing PIs that should be contacted directly with study ideas for approval. If you do not know the subregistry PI or their contact information, please email Kim Aldy at kim.aldy@acmt.net. 

 

Preliminary Data Requests

A screening/preliminary data request may be submitted in certain instances. Typically this is used when a PI wants to submit a study protocol, but first wants to look at the existing data to evaluate if there are enough data points available (for instance, to study a rare exposure). This data request will still require a subsequent Research Protocol Review Request and approval if the PI wants to move forward with the study. 

 

How to Submit a Research Project Proposal and Obtain a Full Data Request

We encourage medical toxicologists that want to participate in research with ToxIC to submit a study request. In addition, fellows, residents, and medical students may submit study requests under a PI medical toxicologist.  
 
For any research study utilizing ToxIC data, there are a series of steps: 
  1. Submit a research protocol review request form (usually takes around 2 weeks for approval by email)

After research protocol submission, the study will be evaluated to ensure that no existing studies are occurring and to ensure that the data available in the Registry fulfills your study aims. If the study does not meet either of these criteria, the ToxIC staff will inform the applicant. If you have any questions about research with ToxIC, please email Kim Aldy at kim.aldy@acmt.net.

  

ToxIC Progress Reports

After a research project is approved, the project PI must submit an annual progress report on May 1st of each year.  These progress reports are essential because they allow ToxIC to track the status of each project and/or close projects when they are completed in order to allow other investigators to study similar topics in the future.   
 
Progress Report Forms (Annual submission by May 1st each year to renew an open project or close a project)

  

Guidelines for ToxIC Publications

If an approved ToxIC project is submitted for a conference abstract, this does not have to be approved by the ToxIC Committee before submission. 
 
If an approved ToxIC project is being submitted for a journal publication, the manuscript draft must be submitted to the ToxIC Committee for review. Please allow 2-4 weeks for review (we can expedite more quickly on a case by case basis if needed). Send the final manuscript draft to kim.aldy@acmt.net to start this review process. 
 
All projects must include the Toxicology Investigators Consortium as the last author of any presentation, abstract, poster, or publication.  Please include the text "On behalf of the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC)" as an author at the end of the author list during submission. This helps acknowledge all of the ToxIC investigators involved in the project and allows us to track publications in various journals. 
 
If a project investigator needs help with the methods section of their publication, please feel free to email kim.aldy@acmt.net for guidance.