Authorship Criteria
Authorship in this journal is reserved for individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and the preparation of the manuscript. Authorship must be based on actual contributions, transparency, and academic accountability, rather than solely on position, seniority, academic status, or administrative involvement in the research.
This journal follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) regarding authorship and authors' responsibilities. To qualify for authorship, each individual must meet all four of the following criteria:
- Substantial contributions to the research, including the conception or design of the study, the acquisition of data, or the analysis or interpretation of data.
- Contribution to the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.
- Final approval of the version to be published.
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, including ensuring that any questions related to the accuracy, validity, or integrity of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved.
All authors must satisfy all four criteria. Individuals who have contributed to the research but do not yet meet all authorship criteria should be given the opportunity to participate in the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript, where appropriate, so that they may meet the requirements for authorship. Contributors who do not qualify for authorship may be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section, according to the nature of their contributions and with their consent.
Honorary, guest, or gift authorship is not permitted. Individuals must not be listed as authors solely because of their leadership position, supervisory role, academic seniority, funding contribution, or authorization of the research, unless they have made contributions that satisfy all four authorship criteria. Conversely, individuals who meet the authorship criteria must not be excluded from the author list without a justifiable reason.
The order of authors should reflect their respective scholarly contributions and must be agreed upon by all authors before manuscript submission. The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the journal throughout the submission, peer-review, revision, and publication processes. The corresponding author must also ensure that all authors have approved the final manuscript and agreed to the authorship order.
Each author is required to declare their contributions honestly and transparently. Any changes to the author list after manuscript submission must be supported by a clear justification and written consent from all existing authors and any individuals being added to or removed from the author list, in accordance with the journal's policies. Authorship disputes will be handled objectively and in accordance with applicable publication ethics guidelines.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools does not qualify an individual or an AI system for authorship. Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and entire content of the manuscript, including verifying any AI-generated material. Authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools in accordance with the journal's applicable policies. AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors.
