Authorship Criteria

1. Introduction

The Journal of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Research (JNSMR) is committed to maintaining integrity, fairness, and transparency in scholarly publishing. Appropriate authorship attribution is an essential part of these principles, ensuring that individuals who make substantial intellectual contributions to research receive proper recognition and accept responsibility for their work. This policy defines the criteria for authorship, clarifies the responsibilities of authors, and establishes procedures for acknowledging other contributions and addressing authorship-related concerns.

JNSMR's authorship policy is informed by the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), adapted to the multidisciplinary nature of research in fundamental sciences, mathematics, applied sciences, and materials characterization.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship recognizes an individual's scholarly contribution to a research publication and entails responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the work. Individuals may be listed as authors only when they satisfy all the authorship requirements established in this policy.

Contributorship refers to assistance or participation in research and manuscript preparation that deserves acknowledgment but does not meet all the requirements for authorship.

JNSMR prohibits the following inappropriate authorship practices:

  • Gift, guest, or honorary authorship: Listing individuals as authors because of their academic position, reputation, institutional authority, personal relationships, or expected reciprocal benefits without sufficient scholarly contribution.
  • Ghost authorship: Failing to identify individuals who meet the journal's authorship criteria or concealing substantial writing or editorial assistance that should be disclosed.
  • Denial of authorship: Excluding individuals who fulfill all authorship requirements, including researchers or collaborators whose contributions may be overlooked because of academic hierarchy or unequal institutional relationships.

All authors are expected to report their contributions honestly and ensure that scholarly credit is allocated fairly. Academic seniority, institutional affiliation, professional position, gender, or access to research funding must not independently determine eligibility for authorship.

3. Authorship Policy

3.1. Requirements for Authorship

Every individual listed as an author in a manuscript submitted to JNSMR must satisfy all four of the following criteria:

  1. Make a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the research, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data, research materials, mathematical formulations, computational results, or other scientific evidence relevant to the study.
  2. Participate in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for significant intellectual content.
  3. Review and approve the final version of the manuscript intended for publication.
  4. Accept accountability for their contribution and cooperate in addressing questions concerning the accuracy, validity, or integrity of any part of the work.

All individuals who meet these four requirements must be recognized as authors. Contributors who have made substantial intellectual contributions should be given a reasonable opportunity to participate in manuscript revision and final approval rather than being excluded from authorship without justification.

3.2. Recognition of Non-Author Contributions

Individuals who contribute to a research project but do not fulfill all four authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section, where appropriate. Their contributions should be described clearly and accurately.

Contributions that do not independently qualify an individual for authorship include:

  • Obtaining research funding or financial support.
  • Providing general supervision, administrative assistance, or institutional authorization.
  • Assisting with transcription, translation, technical editing, language revision, or proofreading.
  • Performing routine data collection, laboratory measurements, or experimental procedures without substantial intellectual involvement in the research.
  • Providing access to laboratory facilities, scientific instruments, datasets, archives, research locations, or study participants.
  • Offering technical assistance, equipment maintenance, programming support, or other logistical services without meeting the complete authorship requirements.

Participation in research activities alone does not automatically confer authorship. Recognition of research participants, collaborating organizations, or community members must respect applicable consent, confidentiality, and research ethics requirements.

The corresponding author must obtain permission from individuals whose names appear in the Acknowledgments section.

3.3. Author Order

The authors must collectively agree on the order in which their names appear before submitting the manuscript to JNSMR. The journal does not impose a universal author-order convention because practices may differ across scientific disciplines, research methodologies, and collaborative arrangements.

The agreed sequence should reasonably reflect the nature and extent of each author's contribution to the research and manuscript. Authors may be requested to explain the rationale for their proposed author order if clarification is necessary.

3.4. Corresponding Author

One author must be designated as the Corresponding Author, who serves as the principal contact between JNSMR and the authors throughout submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Confirming that all listed authors meet the journal's authorship requirements.
  • Ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript submitted to JNSMR, subsequent relevant revisions, and the final version intended for publication.
  • Keeping co-authors informed of editorial decisions, reviewer comments, and developments in the publication process.
  • Verifying the accuracy of author names, institutional affiliations, contact details, and declarations of competing interests.
  • Coordinating responses to editorial inquiries and requests for clarification or additional documentation.
  • Communicating with the editorial office regarding authorship changes, publication ethics concerns, and post-publication matters.

These coordinating responsibilities do not exempt the corresponding author or any co-author from their individual obligations concerning the integrity and accuracy of the published work.

3.5. Changes to Authorship

Requests to add or remove an author, change the corresponding author, or modify the order of authors after manuscript submission must be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief by the corresponding author.

Each request must include:

  • A clear explanation and justification for the proposed change.
  • Written agreement from all authors, including individuals being added or removed, where applicable.
  • An updated author contribution statement, if the change affects the reported contributions.

JNSMR may suspend manuscript processing while the request is reviewed. Changes requested after acceptance will be considered only under exceptional circumstances and require approval from the Editor-in-Chief. Any approved authorship change made after publication will normally be documented through a formal correction to the published record.

3.6. Author Contribution Statements

JNSMR encourages authors to provide an Author Contributions statement that describes the role of each individual in the research and preparation of the manuscript.

Where appropriate, authors may use the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to identify contributions such as conceptualization, methodology, software development, validation, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, visualization, and writing.

Contribution statements promote transparency and clarify individual responsibilities. However, the declaration of a particular contribution does not replace the requirement to satisfy all four authorship criteria established by JNSMR.

3.7. Unacceptable Authorship Practices and Undisclosed Assistance

Gift, guest, honorary, and ghost authorship are not permitted in manuscripts submitted to JNSMR. Every listed author must meet the journal's authorship requirements, and individuals who fulfill these requirements must not be improperly excluded.

Substantial assistance with writing, editing, data analysis, computational work, or other aspects of manuscript preparation must be disclosed when appropriate, including the source of financial support for such assistance where relevant.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot independently approve a manuscript, accept responsibility for its content, or fulfill the obligations required of human authors. Authors who use AI tools in preparing manuscripts, generating figures, processing or analyzing data, or performing other research-related activities must disclose such use in accordance with JNSMR's applicable policies. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of all content submitted for publication.

3.8. Collective and Collaborative Authorship

JNSMR recognizes that scientific research may involve interdisciplinary teams, institutional collaborations, research networks, and consortia. Where appropriate, a group or consortium name may be included in the author list, provided that the individual contributors who qualify for authorship are clearly identified.

Each individual credited as an author must satisfy all the journal's authorship requirements. Membership in a research group, consortium, or collaborative project alone is insufficient to establish eligibility for authorship.

Other participants who contribute to the research but do not meet the authorship criteria may be identified as collaborators or acknowledged contributors, as appropriate. The corresponding author must ensure that the individuals responsible for communication with the journal and accountability for the research are clearly identified.

4. Implementation and Dispute Resolution

4.1. Authorship Confirmation

During manuscript submission, the corresponding author must confirm that:

  • Every listed author satisfies JNSMR's authorship requirements.
  • No individual who qualifies for authorship has been improperly omitted.
  • All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.
  • All authors have agreed to submit the manuscript to JNSMR for consideration.
  • The declared author contributions and relevant disclosures are accurate to the best of the authors' knowledge.

JNSMR may request a separate authorship declaration, an author contribution statement, written confirmation from individual authors, or other supporting documentation when necessary.

4.2. Preventing Authorship Disputes

Research teams are encouraged to discuss authorship eligibility, individual responsibilities, and the proposed order of authors at the beginning of a research project. These arrangements should be reviewed when contributions change, new collaborators join, or the scope of the research develops.

Maintaining written records of authorship agreements and contribution discussions is recommended. All contributors should have a fair opportunity to explain their roles, including early-career researchers, students, and collaborators from institutions with different levels of academic authority or resources.

4.3. Disputes Before Publication

JNSMR does not ordinarily determine authorship disputes solely on the basis of competing personal claims. Individuals involved in a disagreement will generally be asked to resolve the matter within their research team or through the relevant institutions.

Where a dispute raises credible concerns about authorship integrity, the journal may suspend editorial assessment or publication until adequate evidence of resolution has been provided. The journal may request written explanations or supporting documentation to clarify the status of the manuscript.

4.4. Concerns Raised After Publication

If a credible concern about authorship is raised after publication, JNSMR will assess the matter in accordance with relevant publication ethics guidance, including applicable COPE recommendations. The journal may request explanations from the authors, examine available documentation, and seek an investigation or clarification from the relevant institutions.

Depending on the findings and their implications for the integrity of the scholarly record, appropriate editorial actions may include publishing a correction or taking other measures consistent with the journal's publication ethics policies. An expression of concern or retraction may be considered when warranted by the circumstances. An authorship disagreement alone does not automatically justify retraction of an article.

4.5. Relevant Standards and Institutional Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to JNSMR are expected to familiarize themselves with relevant publication ethics guidance, including COPE recommendations, applicable ICMJE guidance where relevant, and authorship requirements established by their institutions or research funders.

When applicable requirements differ or appear inconsistent, authors should notify the editorial office so that the matter can be clarified before publication. The journal may request additional information to ensure that authorship attribution and disclosure practices are consistent with the principles of research integrity and responsible scholarly publishing.

4.6. Shared Accountability

All authors share responsibility for maintaining the integrity of their published work. Each author must take responsibility for their own contributions, have reasonable confidence in the integrity of their co-authors' contributions, and cooperate with reasonable requests to clarify research methods, data, calculations, software, analyses, results, or conclusions.

Authors must assist in investigating and resolving substantiated concerns about the accuracy, validity, or integrity of their work. An author cannot avoid responsibility for their own contribution simply because another individual prepared or reviewed that part of the manuscript.

JNSMR reserves the right to request further explanations, authorship declarations, contribution statements, or supporting documentation at any stage of submission, peer review, publication, or post-publication assessment. Through this policy, JNSMR seeks to ensure fair attribution of scholarly contributions, transparent research collaboration, and accountability throughout the publication process.