In academic publishing, authors are the contributors of the journal Authors can be named as the lead author, first author, co-author, corresponding author based on the role they performed during the research process and manuscript preparation.
In this, The corresponding author takes responsibility for the manuscript during the submission, peer review, and production process.
All communication from submission to publication will be with the corresponding author. However, there is a common question that it is possible to include more than one corresponding author to an article.
First Author vs. Corresponding Author
The first author or presenting author is usually a researcher who carried out the research work.
The responsibilities of the first authors are doing the research, preparing the manuscript, and analyzing the data.
The corresponding author is normally a senior author who provides intellectual input and monitor the entire research work.
The responsibilities of the corresponding author are manuscript correction, proofreading, paper submission, handling the revisions, and re-submission of revised manuscripts till the journal production process.
Does the corresponding author need to be the first author?
No, the Corresponding author does not need to be the first author or a senior author.
The order of authors can change during the submission process, based on the individual wish, but submissions should be made only through the corresponding author and not on behalf of the corresponding author.
Can I add more than one corresponding author to an article?
In some circumstances, one scholar may have two research Guides(Guide and Co-Guide). So, he/she needs to include the two authors’ names as a corresponding author in the journal. However, do journals allow it?
Yes, articles can be published with more than one corresponding author, but the peer review system can accommodate only one.
Authors can include more than one corresponding author to an article, but it mostly depends on the journal or publisher guidelines.
The logic behind only allowing a single author to access the manuscript is that only one author should take responsibility for the manuscript during the submission, peer review, and production stages.
For example, Springer Nature generally practices a single point of contact to ensures that the manuscript can progress rapidly through the process and that all communication.
Sometimes manuscripts get rejected because of having two corresponding authors, so it is better to get the prior clarification from the journal regarding the option to add two corresponding authors in the article.
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