Authorship and Contributorship

1. Introduction

Authorship confers credit and implies responsibility and accountability for published work. IJASCE adheres to the authorship criteria recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and COPE, ensuring fair attribution of scholarly contributions and preventing practices such as honorary or ghost authorship.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to IJASCE and to all individuals listed as authors, contributors, or acknowledged collaborators.

3. Policy Statement and Guidelines

An individual should be listed as an author only if they meet all four of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.

  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

  3. Final approval of the version to be published.

  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring questions related to the accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who contribute to the work but do not meet all four criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments section, with their specific contributions clearly described.

3.1 Author Contribution Statements

At submission, a clear description of each author's specific contributions must be provided. IJASCE recommends the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) model to detail contributions such as conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing, supervision, or funding acquisition.

3.2 Corresponding Author Responsibilities

One author must be designated as the corresponding author. This individual is responsible for:

  • Managing all communication with the journal

  • Ensuring all authors approve the final manuscript and submission

  • Serving as the point of contact post-publication

3.3 Co-authorship and Group Authorship

In cases of group authorship (e.g., research consortiums), the group name may appear in the byline. However, individual contributors must be identified and meet authorship criteria. Any contributors who do not meet the criteria must be acknowledged separately.

3.4 Acknowledgment of Non-author Contributions

Editorial assistance, language editing, data collection, and administrative support do not qualify for authorship but must be acknowledged with permission from the individuals named.

3.5 Authorship Changes

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be accompanied by a signed statement of agreement from all listed authors and any authors being added or removed. Such changes are subject to editorial approval.

4. Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for honestly attributing contributions and maintaining transparency about their roles.
Editors ensure compliance with this policy and may investigate authorship disputes in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Reviewers should report suspected authorship concerns to the editorial office.

5. Process for Handling Breaches

Disputes over authorship will be referred to the institutions involved if they cannot be resolved by the editorial team. Allegations of ghost, guest, or gift authorship may lead to manuscript rejection or retraction, and sanctions may be applied in accordance with COPE guidance.

6. Related Policies and References

  • ICMJE Authorship Criteria

  • COPE Guidelines on Authorship and Contributorship

  • IJASCE’s Conflict of Interest Policy

  • IJASCE’s Ethical Oversight Policy

7. Review and Updates

This policy was last reviewed in August 2025. It is reviewed annually or when updates to international authorship standards are released.