AUTHORSHIP & RESPONSIBILITY POLICY

AUTHORSHIP & RESPONSIBILITY POLICY

Authorship & Responsibility Policy

This journal follows internationally accepted standards to ensure fair, transparent, and ethical authorship practices. These guidelines are based on the principles established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Criteria for Authorship

All listed authors must meet all four of the following criteria:

  1. Made a substantial contribution to conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation
  2. Participated in drafting the article or revising it critically
  3. Provided final approval of the version to be published
  4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Gift, guest, or ghost authorship is not allowed.

Some journals may also use role-based contribution reporting to transparently indicate each author’s role.

Author Roles

  • The submitting author coordinates submission and ensures author information is accurate.
  • The corresponding author serves as the main contact during peer review and after publication.

Group Authorship

Group authorship is permitted:

  • Responsible group members must meet authorship criteria and be listed on the title page.
  • Other contributors may be acknowledged separately.

Author Affiliations

Authors must list the institution where the majority of the research was conducted as the primary affiliation. Authors must provide accurate affiliation details prior to publication. Affiliations cannot be changed after publication except to correct a factual error.

Changes to Authorship

Changes (addition, removal, or reordering) after submission must:

  • Be requested by the submitting/corresponding author
  • Include a signed authorship change form by all authors
  • Be approved by the editorial team

No authorship changes are allowed after final acceptance of a manuscript.

Deceased or Incapacitated Authors

If an author dies prior to publication, the journal will follow recognized ethical procedures and reasonable efforts will be made to confirm the author’s contribution and consent through legal or institutional channels.

Authorship Disputes

Authorship disputes during submission or review will pause the process. Unresolved disputes may be referred to the corresponding author's institution. The journal follows institutional investigation outcomes if post-publication disputes arise.

Name and Pronoun Changes Post-Publication

Name/pronoun updates are handled under the journal’s Name and Pronoun Change Policy.