Authorship and Contributorship

1. Introduction

The International Journal of Agricultural Sciences (IJASC) is committed to ensuring that authorship and contributorship are assigned fairly, accurately, and transparently. Appropriate attribution of scholarly work is fundamental to research integrity because authorship recognizes intellectual contributions while also establishing responsibility and accountability for the published research.

This policy defines the eligibility criteria for authorship, the responsibilities of authors and the corresponding author, the disclosure of individual contributions, the acknowledgment of non-author contributors, and the procedures for managing changes to authorship and disputes.

IJASC expects all authors to participate honestly in the preparation, submission, revision, and publication of their manuscripts. Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contributions and must not be assigned solely on the basis of academic rank, institutional position, financial support, personal relationships, or other considerations unrelated to the actual work performed.

This policy has been developed with reference to the relevant Core Practices and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), particularly its principles concerning authorship and contributorship. It also draws on the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship recommendations as a supplementary framework for defining authorship responsibilities. These references are used to support transparent and responsible publication practices and do not imply endorsement, certification, or approval of IJASC by COPE or ICMJE.

2. Description

2.1 Definition of authorship

Authorship refers to the formal attribution of scholarly responsibility and credit to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to a research study and its resulting manuscript.

An author is expected to have contributed meaningfully to the research, participated in preparing or critically revising the manuscript, approved the final version for publication, and accepted accountability for the integrity of the work.

Authorship is not merely a recognition of participation or status. It signifies that the named individual has a legitimate intellectual contribution to the work and accepts the responsibilities associated with publication.

2.2 Definition of contributorship

Contributorship refers to the specific activities performed by individuals who contribute to the research project or manuscript. Contributions may include conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analysis, investigation, supervision, funding acquisition, software development, visualization, writing, editing, and other relevant activities.

Some contributors may qualify as authors, while others may have made valuable contributions that do not satisfy all the journal's authorship criteria. Such contributions should be acknowledged appropriately, with the individuals' permission, rather than being used as a basis for honorary or inappropriate authorship.

A contributorship statement enables readers and other stakeholders to understand who performed particular aspects of the research and supports transparency concerning responsibility for the published work.

2.3 Unethical authorship practices

IJASC considers the following practices inconsistent with responsible authorship:

1. Gift, guest, or honorary authorship: Including an individual as an author despite that person's failure to meet the journal's authorship criteria, for example because of seniority, reputation, institutional position, financial support, or personal relationships.

2. Ghost authorship: Omitting an individual who has made contributions that qualify for authorship, or concealing substantial writing or research assistance in a manner that misrepresents how the work was produced.

3. Denial of authorship: Excluding an individual who has made qualifying intellectual contributions and fulfilled the journal's authorship requirements.

4. Misrepresentation of contributions: Claiming that an individual performed research, analysis, writing, or other work that the individual did not undertake.

5. Coercive authorship: Pressuring a researcher, student, or colleague to include or exclude an individual without a legitimate contribution-based justification.

6. Unauthorized authorship changes: Adding, removing, or reordering authors without appropriate justification and the agreement of the affected authors.

7. Concealed third-party assistance: Failing to disclose substantial writing, editorial, analytical, or other assistance when such disclosure is necessary to provide an accurate account of how the research or manuscript was prepared.

These practices may compromise the reliability of the scholarly record and may require editorial assessment under this policy and the journal's other applicable publication ethics policies.

3. Policy

3.1 Criteria for authorship

IJASC requires authorship to be based on substantive intellectual contributions and accepts the following four criteria, consistent with the criteria published in its Author Guidelines:

An individual qualifies for authorship when all of the following conditions are met:

1. Substantial contribution to the work: The individual has made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.

2. Participation in manuscript preparation: The individual has drafted the manuscript or critically revised it for important intellectual content.

3. Final approval: The individual has reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript intended for publication.

4. Accountability: The individual agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions relating to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All four criteria must be fulfilled. Meeting only one or several criteria is insufficient to establish eligibility for authorship.

Individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research but have not yet fulfilled all the criteria should be given an appropriate opportunity to participate in manuscript preparation or critical revision, where practicable, before authorship is finalized. Authorship must not be granted automatically merely because an individual has participated in a project.

The criteria apply equally to all authors, regardless of academic seniority, institutional affiliation, employment status, nationality, or position within a research team.

3.2 Responsibilities of authors

Every listed author is responsible for ensuring that the manuscript represents the research accurately and that the authorship information submitted to IJASC is truthful and complete.

Authors are expected to:

1. Make a genuine intellectual contribution that satisfies the journal's authorship criteria.

2. Ensure that the research and manuscript are presented accurately and honestly.

3. Review and approve the final manuscript before publication.

4. Agree to take responsibility for the integrity of the work, including cooperating in the investigation and resolution of concerns.

5. Ensure that the manuscript does not contain fabricated, falsified, plagiarized, or misleading research content.

6. Disclose relevant competing interests and sources of research funding in accordance with the journal's policies.

7. Ensure that all listed authors are aware of the submission and have agreed to the submitted author list and author order.

8. Provide accurate names, institutional affiliations, email addresses where required, and other requested author information.

9. Disclose relevant research assistance, writing support, and the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in accordance with the journal's applicable policies.

10. Cooperate reasonably with editorial inquiries concerning authorship, research methods, data, contributions, and the integrity of the publication.

An author should not disclaim all responsibility for a published article merely because a particular component of the research was performed by another co-author. Each author must be able to identify their own contributions and have sufficient confidence in the integrity of the work as a whole to accept the accountability required by this policy.

3.3 Corresponding author

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between IJASC and the author team during submission, peer review, revision, production, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

1. Submitting the manuscript with the knowledge and authorization of all co-authors.

2. Confirming that all listed authors satisfy the journal's authorship criteria.

3. Confirming that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript and agreed to the author list and order.

4. Providing complete and accurate author names, affiliations, and contact information.

5. Coordinating the preparation and submission of the author contribution statement.

6. Ensuring that required declarations, including funding, competing interests, research ethics, and other relevant statements, are complete and consistent with the manuscript.

7. Communicating editorial requests and decisions to the co-authors and coordinating responses and revisions.

8. Obtaining the agreement of all affected authors when a change to authorship is requested.

9. Responding to reasonable editorial inquiries concerning the manuscript, its authorship, and its research integrity.

10. Communicating relevant post-publication concerns to the other authors and assisting in providing a coordinated, evidence-based response.

The corresponding author must not assume that designation as corresponding author gives them unilateral authority to add, remove, or reorder co-authors. Authorship decisions must be handled in accordance with this policy.

The corresponding author is not automatically the guarantor of every aspect of the research unless the journal's submission requirements or the authors' own declarations explicitly establish that responsibility.

3.4 Order of authorship

The order in which authors appear in a manuscript should be agreed upon by all authors before submission. IJASC does not prescribe a universal author-order convention for every agricultural science discipline or research design.

Authors should determine the order in accordance with the nature and extent of their respective contributions, relevant disciplinary conventions, and any agreement reached within the research team.

The author order must not be manipulated to confer unearned prestige, conceal substantial contributions, or misrepresent responsibility for the work.

The corresponding author should confirm that all authors agree to the proposed order. Any subsequent change must follow the procedures in Section 3.8.

Where two or more authors have made equal contributions, the authors may include an appropriate equal-contribution statement if supported by their actual contributions and accepted by the journal. Any designation of joint first authorship, joint senior authorship, or equivalent status must be explained clearly in the manuscript and must not misrepresent the contributions made.

3.5 Non-author contributors and acknowledgments

Individuals who have contributed to a research project or manuscript but do not satisfy all authorship criteria should not be listed as authors solely to recognize their assistance.

Where appropriate, their contributions may be acknowledged in the manuscript's Acknowledgments section. Examples include:

• General administrative or logistical assistance.

• Routine technical assistance or laboratory support.

• Data collection that does not involve a substantial intellectual contribution to the research design, analysis, or interpretation.

• Language editing, proofreading, or editorial assistance.

• Provision of materials, facilities, equipment, or research resources.

• General supervision that does not satisfy the authorship criteria.

• Funding acquisition without the additional intellectual contributions required for authorship.

• Other forms of assistance that do not qualify an individual for authorship.

These examples are illustrative rather than exhaustive. The nature and extent of each contribution should be considered in context.

All individuals named in the Acknowledgments section must give their permission to be acknowledged. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining and confirming that permission.

Acknowledgments must not be used to conceal qualifying authors, misrepresent the role of a contributor, or substitute for required disclosures of financial support, competing interests, or third-party assistance.

Individuals or organizations that provided paid writing or editorial services should be disclosed where necessary to make the manuscript's preparation transparent. Funding or other support for such services should also be reported where relevant.

3.6 Author contribution statements

IJASC supports transparent reporting of the individual contributions made by each author.

Authors should provide an Author Contributions statement that accurately describes each author's role in the research and manuscript preparation. The statement should distinguish substantive intellectual contributions from routine assistance and should be consistent with the authorship information supplied during submission.

Where appropriate, authors may use the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to describe contributions. Relevant roles may include:

• Conceptualization.

• Methodology.

• Software.

• Validation.

• Formal analysis.

• Investigation.

• Resources.

• Data curation.

• Writing – original draft.

• Writing – review and editing.

• Visualization.

• Supervision.

• Project administration.

• Funding acquisition.

Not every role is applicable to every study, and inclusion of a role does not automatically establish authorship eligibility. Each named author must still satisfy all four authorship criteria in Section 3.1.

The contribution statement must not attribute work to an author who did not perform or meaningfully participate in that activity. All authors should review the statement and agree that it accurately represents their respective contributions.

If the contribution statement is incomplete or inconsistent with the manuscript or other submission declarations, IJASC may request clarification or a corrected statement before proceeding.

3.7 Group, consortium, and collaborative authorship

IJASC recognizes that agricultural research may involve multidisciplinary teams, collaborative institutions, research consortia, field research groups, and other forms of joint research.

A group or consortium may be identified in the author list where appropriate. However, the manuscript must make clear which individuals are being credited as authors and how responsibility for the work is assigned.

For group or consortium submissions:

1. The submitting author must identify the group or consortium accurately.

2. The individual members to be recognized as authors must be identifiable in the manuscript or in an appropriate accompanying list.

3. Each individual designated as an author must satisfy the journal's authorship criteria.

4. Contributions and responsibilities must be described transparently where individual roles differ substantially.

5. The corresponding author must confirm that the group or consortium has authorized the submission and that the listed authors have agreed to their designation.

6. Non-author group members may be acknowledged separately where appropriate, with their permission.

A group name or collective designation does not automatically make every participant an author. Conversely, contributors who meet the authorship criteria must not be excluded solely because the research was conducted within a large collaborative project.

Any restrictions or technical requirements concerning the display of group authors, consortium members, or extensive author lists will be communicated by the journal where necessary.

3.8 Changes to authorship after submission

The author list and order should be finalized before the manuscript is submitted. Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission will be considered only when there is a legitimate reason and the proposed change is consistent with the authorship criteria.

A request for an authorship change must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author to the Editor-in-Chief or designated editor. The request must include:

1. The manuscript title and identification number, if available.

2. A clear explanation of the reason for the requested change.

3. A description of the relevant contributions where authorship eligibility is affected.

4. Written agreement from all authors, including any author being added or removed, confirming that they accept the proposed change.

5. An updated author contribution statement and other affected declarations, where necessary.

The journal will assess the request before making changes to its editorial records.

Changes after acceptance are discouraged and will be considered only in exceptional circumstances. Changes after publication require additional scrutiny because the author information forms part of the permanent scholarly record. If a change is justified and approved after publication, IJASC will determine whether a formal correction or other notice is required.

The journal will not make an authorship change solely on the instruction of the corresponding author if the required agreement or supporting information is missing. If the authors disagree, the matter will be handled under Section 3.9.

3.9 Authorship disputes

Authorship disputes may concern eligibility, author order, omitted contributors, unauthorized additions, contribution statements, or other disagreements about the attribution of scholarly work.

IJASC will handle such disputes impartially and will distinguish editorial questions from disputes that require institutional investigation.

The journal may request written explanations and supporting information from the affected parties. However, the journal is not ordinarily in a position to determine conclusively how much work an individual performed within a research team or to adjudicate complex employment, contractual, or institutional disputes.

When a dispute cannot be resolved through clarification and agreement among the authors, IJASC may suspend the editorial process while requesting that the authors seek resolution through their institutions or another appropriate independent body.

The journal may contact the relevant institution or institutions when:

• The dispute concerns alleged misconduct or the integrity of the research record.

• The authors provide materially conflicting accounts that cannot be resolved through editorial review.

• There is credible evidence of coercive, fraudulent, or otherwise inappropriate authorship practices.

• A published article may require correction or another post-publication action.

IJASC will consider the available evidence, the responses received, relevant institutional findings, and applicable publication ethics guidance before determining an appropriate editorial response.

The journal will not alter the author list merely to settle a dispute without an adequate basis and the required author agreement or other appropriate determination.

3.10 Accountability and post-publication responsibilities

All authors remain accountable for the integrity of their contributions and must cooperate in resolving questions about the research or publication.

If a concern arises after publication, the authors should respond promptly and provide relevant clarification or evidence where reasonably available.

Depending on the nature of the concern, IJASC may request an explanation, corrected contribution information, supporting documentation, or other material needed to assess the matter.

If an authorship problem is substantiated, the journal may consider a correction to the published author information, a correction to the contribution statement, an expression of concern, or retraction where warranted by the evidence and the effect on the integrity of the publication.

Where an unresolved dispute requires institutional investigation, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution and consider appropriate interim measures to protect the scholarly record.

All post-publication actions will be assessed under the journal's relevant publication ethics policies, including its policies on allegations of misconduct, post-publication discussions and corrections, and plagiarism and retraction.

3.11 Generative artificial intelligence and authorship

Artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI systems, cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of manuscripts submitted to IJASC.

Authorship requires human accountability, the ability to approve the final manuscript, and responsibility for addressing questions about the accuracy and integrity of the work. AI systems cannot independently fulfill these requirements.

Authors who use generative AI or AI-assisted tools must comply with the journal's Generative AI Policy and disclose such use where required. Authors remain fully responsible for verifying the accuracy of generated content, the validity of citations, the originality of the manuscript, the proper attribution of sources, and compliance with applicable confidentiality and intellectual property requirements.

The use of an AI tool does not transfer authorship responsibility from the human authors to the tool's developer or provider. Undisclosed or inappropriate AI use may be assessed under the journal's relevant editorial and publication ethics policies.

4. Technicalities to Achieve and Materialise the Policies

4.1 Authorship declaration at submission

At submission, the corresponding author must confirm that:

1. All listed authors satisfy the journal's authorship criteria.

2. All listed authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript submitted to IJASC.

3. All authors agree to the author list and order.

4. All authors have authorized the corresponding author to communicate with the journal on their behalf for the purposes of the submission.

5. The contribution statement accurately reflects the work performed by each author.

6. No individual who qualifies for authorship has been knowingly omitted.

7. No individual has been included as an author solely because of seniority, institutional position, financial support, or personal relationships.

8. Relevant acknowledgments, funding disclosures, competing interest statements, and other required declarations have been prepared accurately.

IJASC may request a signed authorship declaration or other written confirmation when necessary. The journal may also request clarification of author contributions or authorization for a proposed authorship change.

4.2 Submission of author information

Authors must provide their names and institutional affiliations in the format required by the journal's Author Guidelines. The corresponding author's contact details must be accurate and maintained during the editorial process.

The corresponding author should ensure that author names are spelled correctly and that affiliations represent the institutions with which the authors were appropriately associated during the research or manuscript preparation.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to provide persistent researcher identifiers, such as ORCID iDs, to improve attribution and reduce ambiguity. The journal's implementation of any mandatory identifier requirements must be stated explicitly in its submission instructions.

4.3 Verification of contributions

IJASC may review the author contribution statement and compare it with the manuscript, acknowledgments, declarations, and other information submitted by the authors.

If an inconsistency or concern arises, the journal may request:

• A more detailed description of individual contributions.

• Confirmation from the affected authors.

• An explanation of the basis for authorship or author order.

• Updated contribution or acknowledgment statements.

• Written confirmation from all affected authors concerning a proposed change.

These checks are intended to support transparent reporting and do not mean that the journal will routinely investigate every author's contribution independently.

4.4 Handling suspected authorship misconduct

When the journal receives credible information suggesting gift authorship, ghost authorship, denial of authorship, falsified contribution statements, or unauthorized changes, the responsible editor will conduct an initial assessment.

The journal may then:

1. Request an explanation from the corresponding author and other affected authors.

2. Review the authorship declaration and contribution statement.

3. Seek additional information relevant to the allegation.

4. Suspend manuscript processing or publication when necessary to avoid prejudicing the outcome.

5. Refer the matter to the relevant institution if the dispute cannot be resolved or requires an institutional investigation.

6. Consider an appropriate correction or other editorial action if the concern relates to an already published article.

The response will be proportionate to the seriousness of the allegation and the evidence available. An allegation alone will not be treated as proof of misconduct.

4.5 Resolution of authorship changes

Before approving a change, the editor will assess the explanation provided, confirm that the requested change is consistent with the authorship criteria, and verify the agreement of all affected authors where required.

If agreement is incomplete or the dispute remains unresolved, the journal may decline to make the change until appropriate clarification or institutional resolution is available.

For changes affecting a published article, the journal will assess the need for a formal correction and ensure that the published record remains transparent and traceable.

4.6 Institutional cooperation

Authors are expected to comply with applicable institutional and funder requirements concerning authorship, research integrity, and responsible conduct of research.

Where an authorship dispute involves questions that cannot be resolved within the journal's editorial remit, IJASC may request assistance or a determination from the relevant institution or institutions.

The journal will consider institutional findings where relevant but will retain responsibility for decisions concerning the publication record within its editorial remit.

4.7 Policy review

This policy should be reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains consistent with the journal's actual editorial procedures, relevant publication ethics guidance, and developments in scholarly publishing.

Any revision must be reflected consistently in the journal's Author Guidelines, submission forms, author declarations, and related publication ethics policies.

References and resources

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices: Authorship and Contributorship.
https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Discussion Document: Authorship.
https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.3.3

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Changes in Authorship: Addition of an Author After Publication.
https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.2.10

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors.
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html

The COPE Authorship Discussion Document is a discussion resource rather than a mandatory rule in itself. The journal uses it as a source of relevant considerations when developing transparent authorship procedures.

Implementation note: This policy must be read together with IJASC's Author Guidelines, Generative AI Policy, Conflicts of Interest Policy, Allegations of Misconduct Policy, and Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections Policy. Any operational requirement that has not yet been formally adopted by IJASC must be confirmed by the journal management before publication.