Q: We want two people to be the co-first author
If we want two people (A and B) to be the co-first author, how should we tell the editor? There is no mention of “co-first author” in the journal guideline, and we would like to mention it in the comments to the editor. Would that be OK?
Dear author, thank you for your question.
Please indicate the co-first authors both in the manuscript and in the cover letter. In the manuscript, you will have to indicate it along with affiliations. Please use a symbol (e.g. co-Author A*, co-Author B*) against the two authors' names, and in the affiliation section, this should be described as "*These two authors contributed equally to this work".
You have mentioned that the journal guidelines do not have any specifications, so for now we would recommend using any symbol. In addition, please mention the co first-authorship in the cover letter. You can include the sentence "A and B are equal contributors to this work and designated as co-first authors.”
We hope this helps. All the best for your manuscript!
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