Guidelines for Editors Regarding Authorship Complaints:
IJCMAS adheres to the principles of fairness, integrity, and transparency in the authorship of scholarly articles in line with the COPE guidelines. We recognize that disputes may arise regarding authorship, and we have established the following policies to address such issues:
- Defining Authorship:
- As defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), an author should meet all four criteria: substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published; agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
- Individuals who do not meet all criteria should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgments" section.
- Pre-Submission Authorship Confirmation:
- Before manuscript submission, it is crucial that all authors agree on the author list and the order of authorship.
- Authorship Changes Post-Submission:
- Any changes to the author list after submission, including additions, deletions, or change in order, must be approved by all authors. This includes the authors being added or removed and those who continue to be listed as authors. The corresponding author must send the editor a request for authorship change explaining the reason for the change. This request must be accompanied by written confirmation (email is acceptable) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal, or rearrangement.
- Handling Authorship Disputes:
- In cases where an authorship dispute cannot be resolved amongst the authors, the matter will be escalated to the institution(s) where the work was carried out.
- If the dispute cannot be resolved at the institutional level, it may be necessary for the authors to seek mediation or legal guidance.
IJCMAS expects all authors to resolve authorship disputes in a professional manner respecting the principles of courtesy, integrity, and transparency.
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)