Authorship of a scientific article carries significant legal and ethical responsibilities regarding the originality and integrity of the academic record. The journal follows internationally recognized guidelines (such as those of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, ICMJE: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html) to define the role of authors, emphasizing a contributor-based approach.
Authorship Criteria
All individuals listed as authors must meet four criteria demonstrating their intellectual contribution to the research:
Substantial Contribution: The individual must have made a key contribution to the conception or design of the study, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data. This may also include the creation of new software used in the research.
Drafting and Revision: The individual must have participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
Final Approval: All authors must have read and approved the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication.
Accountability: All authors must agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Non-Author Contributors
Individuals who have provided support for the research but do not simultaneously meet all four criteria above should not be listed as authors; their names should appear only in the "Acknowledgements" section. Examples of non-author contributions include: language editing, provision of financial or equipment support, or general assistance. Furthermore, the omission of individuals who have made substantial contributions (ghostwriting) is prohibited.
Authorship and Artificial Intelligence
In accordance with COPE's position, large language models and generative AI cannot be credited as authors, as these tools are incapable of conceptualising research without human direction and cannot take responsibility for the originality, validity, or integrity of the work.
Role of the Corresponding Author
At least one author is designated as the "corresponding author," who serves as the primary representative of the author group. This individual is responsible for managing all communication with the journal during the peer review and publication process, as well as for responding to post-publication inquiries. Key responsibilities of the corresponding author include:
Approval and Order of Names: Ensuring that all authors have approved the final version and that the order of names is accurate prior to submission.
Submission Documentation: Providing all necessary forms, including the signed Authorship Form (by all authors) and the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.
Transparency: Ensuring that all declarations, data availability statements, and disclosures regarding reused material within the manuscript are included.
Accountability: Acting on behalf of the other authors to respond to questions regarding the accuracy and integrity of the work.
The corresponding author's contact information (especially email) must be kept up to date.
Contributor Roles (CRediT)
To enhance transparency, authors are requested to specify each contributor's role using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system (https://credit.niso.org). This standard provides a unified method for describing the diverse efforts that result in a scholarly work. The CRediT roles include:
Conceptualization: Formulation of ideas and overarching goals.
Methodology: Development of the research design or models.
Data Curation: Management activities for annotating and maintaining research data.
Formal Analysis: Application of statistical or computational techniques.
Investigation: Conducting experiments or collecting data.
Writing – Original Draft: Preparation of the initial draft.
Writing – Review & Editing: Critical revision or refinement of drafts.
Supervision: Oversight and leadership of research activities.
Funding Acquisition: Securing financial support for the project.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the role descriptions and the agreement of all contributors. The journal recommends including an "Author Contributions" statement in published articles.
Changes to the Author List
Authors should finalise the list and order of names at the time of initial submission. The journal will generally not consider changes to the authorship composition after submission. Any request to add, remove, or rearrange author names must be approved by the Editor‑in‑Chief and should ideally occur before manuscript acceptance.
However, if for any reason authors must add or remove a name from the author list before acceptance, the request procedure is as follows: the corresponding author must submit a formal request with documented justifications to the Editor‑in‑Chief (https://zenodo.org/records/17750189/files/Authorship_Change_Request_Form.docx?download=1). This request must include written confirmation from all authors (including the individual being added or removed) agreeing to the proposed changes. The Editor‑in‑Chief will consider changes after acceptance only in exceptional circumstances.
Consequences: The journal may halt the publication process while investigating an authorship change request. Any unauthorised change may lead to rejection of the manuscript or, if already published, retraction. If a change is approved after publication, an official correction will be issued.
Authorship Disputes: If a dispute arises among authors during peer review or after publication, the journal will not adjudicate. Authors are expected to resolve disputes internally; otherwise, the journal may remove the manuscript from consideration or refer the matter to the authors' respective institutions.
Note on Source Consistency: The provided URL from the ICMJE fully supports and is consistent with the authorship principles you have outlined. Specifically, the four ICMJE criteria for authorship match exactly the four criteria you listed (substantial contribution, drafting/revision, final approval, and accountability). The ICMJE also similarly defines non‑author contributors, the special role of the corresponding author, the prohibition of AI tools as authors, and the need for signed agreements when changing the author list. Therefore, your journal's guidelines align precisely with this international standard.
