Authorship Criteria

Al GIZZAI: Public Health Nutrition Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability in scholarly publishing. The journal recognizes authorship as an important acknowledgment of intellectual contributions and scientific responsibility.

The journal adopts the authorship principles established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and follows relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure that authorship is assigned appropriately and that all contributors receive fair recognition.

1. Criteria for Authorship

To qualify for authorship, an individual must meet all four criteria established by the ICMJE:

  1. Substantial Contribution: Making substantial contributions to the conception or design of the research, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of research data.

  2. Manuscript Preparation: Participating in drafting the manuscript or critically reviewing it for important intellectual content.

  3. Final Approval: Reviewing and approving the final version of the manuscript before publication.

  4. Accountability: Agreeing to take responsibility for all aspects of the work and ensuring that questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, or reliability of any part of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals identified as authors must satisfy these four criteria. Likewise, all contributors who fulfill these requirements must be appropriately recognized as authors.

Individuals should not be excluded from authorship by being denied the opportunity to participate in manuscript preparation, critical review, or final approval.

2. Author Contributions and Responsibilities

Each author must make a genuine, identifiable intellectual contribution to the submitted manuscript.

Authors are expected to provide an Author Contributions Statement describing their respective roles in the research and manuscript preparation.

The journal recommends using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to ensure transparent and standardized reporting of individual contributions.

Relevant contribution categories may include:

  • Conceptualization and methodology.

  • Investigation, data collection, and data curation.

  • Formal analysis and validation.

  • Writing the original manuscript draft.

  • Critical review and editing.

  • Supervision and project administration.

  • Visualization, resources, and funding acquisition.

The identification of a CRediT role does not automatically establish eligibility for authorship. All listed authors must independently satisfy the four ICMJE criteria.

All authors share responsibility for the accuracy, originality, scientific integrity, and ethical conduct of the published research.

3. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the author group and the editorial office throughout manuscript submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  1. Ensuring that all listed authors meet the established authorship criteria.

  2. Obtaining approval from all co-authors before submitting the manuscript.

  3. Ensuring that author names, affiliations, email addresses, and other submission metadata are accurate.

  4. Submitting required authorship declarations, ethical approval documentation, funding statements, and conflict-of-interest disclosures.

  5. Coordinating responses to editorial inquiries and reviewer comments.

  6. Ensuring that all authors approve the final manuscript before publication.

  7. Cooperating with legitimate post-publication inquiries concerning research integrity, corrections, or clarification of published findings.

The corresponding author must not add, remove, or rearrange authors without appropriate justification and agreement from the affected authors.

4. Author Order and Equal Contributions

The order of authors must be determined collectively by the authors based on their contributions and mutual agreement before manuscript submission.

The editorial team does not determine author order or resolve disagreements about the relative contributions of individual authors.

Where two or more authors have contributed equally, an equal-contribution statement may be provided, subject to editorial verification and approval.

All authors must agree on the author order and corresponding author designation before submission.

5. Contributors Who Do Not Qualify for Authorship

Individuals who contribute to the research but do not meet all four ICMJE authorship criteria should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section rather than listed as authors.

Contributions that do not independently justify authorship include:

  • Providing financial support or research funding.

  • General administrative or institutional supervision.

  • Technical assistance or routine laboratory support.

  • Language editing, proofreading, or manuscript formatting.

  • Providing research facilities, equipment, or other resources.

  • Routine data collection without additional qualifying intellectual contributions.

Such individuals may qualify for authorship if their overall contributions satisfy all four ICMJE criteria.

The corresponding author should obtain permission from individuals named in the Acknowledgments section, particularly when acknowledgment could imply endorsement of the research findings.

6. Unacceptable Authorship Practices

Al GIZZAI: Public Health Nutrition Journal does not tolerate inappropriate or misleading authorship practices, including:

a. Gift or Honorary Authorship: Including individuals who have not made qualifying intellectual contributions, based solely on academic position, seniority, personal relationships, institutional authority, or other non-scientific considerations.

b. Guest Authorship: Including individuals primarily to increase the perceived credibility, prestige, or publication prospects of a manuscript without meeting the required authorship criteria.

c. Ghost Authorship: Omitting individuals who made qualifying contributions to the research or manuscript while failing to provide appropriate recognition.

d. Coercive Authorship: Pressuring researchers or students to include individuals who do not satisfy the authorship criteria.

Any suspected inappropriate authorship practice may be examined by the editorial team in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and relevant COPE guidance.

7. Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be formally communicated to the editorial office.

Such requests must include:

  1. A clear explanation of the proposed authorship change.

  2. A justification describing the contribution or circumstances supporting the change.

  3. Written agreement from all existing authors and any author being added or removed.

  4. An updated Author Contributions Statement, where applicable.

The editorial office will evaluate authorship-change requests in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Authorship changes after manuscript acceptance or publication are subject to additional editorial scrutiny. When a justified change is approved after publication, a formal correction notice may be issued to maintain the accuracy and transparency of the scholarly record.

8. Authorship Disputes and Misconduct

Disagreements concerning authorship eligibility, author order, omitted contributors, or unauthorized inclusion of authors should initially be addressed by the authors and their respective institutions.

The editorial team may request clarification, supporting documentation, or written statements from the individuals involved.

Where an authorship dispute cannot be resolved through communication among the authors, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or research integrity authority.

The journal may suspend editorial consideration or publication while a significant authorship dispute is being investigated.

Suspected authorship misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and relevant COPE procedures.

9. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems, including generative AI tools, large language models, and automated writing applications, cannot be designated as authors or co-authors because they cannot fulfill the responsibilities, accountability, and ethical obligations associated with scientific authorship.

Authors must transparently disclose substantive use of AI-assisted technologies in accordance with the journal's AI policy.

Human authors remain fully responsible for verifying the accuracy, originality, validity, and integrity of all AI-assisted content included in a submitted manuscript.

The use of AI tools does not reduce or replace the responsibilities of the listed authors.

10. Authorship Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to Al GIZZAI: Public Health Nutrition Journal, all listed authors are required to confirm that:

  1. They meet the applicable authorship criteria.

  2. Their contributions are accurately represented.

  3. They have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.

  4. They agree to the submission and publication of the work.

  5. They accept responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the research.

  6. They have disclosed relevant conflicts of interest and funding sources.

  7. No deserving contributor has been intentionally excluded or improperly included.

Failure to comply with these authorship requirements may result in manuscript rejection, suspension of editorial consideration, or appropriate post-publication action, depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

Al GIZZAI: Public Health Nutrition Journal is committed to ensuring that authorship reflects genuine scientific contributions, promotes responsible research practices, and upholds the integrity of scholarly communication.