Authorship Criteria
Authorship recognises a person’s intellectual contribution to a publication and carries responsibility for the work. The journal expects authorship to reflect contributions accurately. All individuals who qualify for authorship must be included, and individuals who do not qualify must not be listed as authors.
Eligibility for Authorship
Each author must meet all four of the following criteria:
- Have contributed substantially to developing the research idea or design, or to collecting, analysing, or interpreting the material or data;
- Have written the manuscript or critically reviewed and revised its intellectual content;
- Have approved the final manuscript for publication; and
- Accept responsibility for the work and cooperate in investigating and resolving any concerns about its accuracy or integrity.
Contributors who meet the first criterion should have the opportunity to participate in drafting or revising the manuscript and approving the final version.
Providing funding, holding a supervisory position, offering administrative support, or providing language editing or proofreading alone does not qualify a person for authorship. Academic rank, institutional position, or personal relationships must not determine inclusion in the author list.
Author Contributions and Acknowledgements
Authors are encouraged to provide an author contribution statement describing each author’s role in the research and manuscript preparation.
Contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria should be recognised in the acknowledgements, with their permission, and their contributions should be described. Including individuals who have not earned authorship, or omitting individuals who qualify, is unacceptable.
Author Order and Corresponding Author
All authors must agree on the author list and its order before submission. The corresponding author manages communication with the journal and ensures that all authors have approved the submission, author order, contribution information, and final version for publication. The corresponding author must keep co-authors informed throughout the editorial process and remain available to respond to enquiries after publication.
Changes to Authorship
Requests to add or remove an author, change the author order, or designate a different corresponding author after submission must be sent to the editor with an explanation and written agreement from all authors, including anyone being added or removed. Changes require editorial approval. Changes after publication may require a formal correction.
Authorship Disputes
The journal may pause review or publication while an authorship dispute remains unresolved. Authors are responsible for resolving disagreements. Where necessary, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institutions for investigation and follow applicable Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.
Artificial Intelligence Tools
Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot accept responsibility for the work. Authors remain responsible for all submitted content, including material produced with AI assistance, and must disclose such assistance in the manuscript.
