Authorship Criteria and Contribution Statement

Authorship is limited to individuals who meet all four ICMJE criteria, and all manuscripts must include a transparent Author Contribution Statement clearly describing each author’s specific role in the research and manuscript preparation.

SCIENCE – International Journal applies clear and transparent authorship standards in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Authorship Criteria

Authorship is limited to individuals who meet all four of the following criteria defined by the ICMJE:

  1. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;

  2. Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;

  3. Final approval of the version to be published;

  4. Accountability for all aspects of the work, including ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who do not meet all four criteria must not be listed as authors.

Non-Author Contributions

Contributors who do not qualify for authorship (e.g., technical support, language editing, data collection without intellectual contribution, administrative assistance) should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section, with their consent.

Author Contribution Statement

All submitted manuscripts must include a mandatory Author Contribution Statement clearly describing the specific contributions of each author. This statement promotes transparency, accountability, and proper attribution of scholarly work.

Examples of contribution roles include:

  • Conceptualization

  • Methodology

  • Data curation

  • Formal analysis

  • Investigation

  • Writing – original draft

  • Writing – review and editing

  • Supervision

  • Project administration

The contribution statement must reflect the actual involvement of each author.

Changes in Authorship

Any request for changes in authorship (addition, removal, or reordering of authors) after submission must be:

  • justified in writing;

  • approved by all listed authors;

  • evaluated by the editorial office in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Unauthorized or unjustified changes in authorship may result in rejection or other editorial actions.

Responsibility and Accountability

All authors share collective responsibility for the content of the manuscript. The corresponding author acts as the primary contact with the journal and is responsible for ensuring that all authors meet authorship criteria and approve the final manuscript.

Final Statement

Clear authorship criteria and transparent contribution statements are essential to maintaining the integrity and credibility of the scholarly record. Non-compliance with this policy may result in editorial action in accordance with journal procedures.