Authorship Policy

1. Policy Statement

Authorship should accurately reflect each individual's scholarly contribution to the work. All listed authors must have made substantial intellectual contributions and must accept responsibility for the integrity of the manuscript.

Impaxon expects authorship to be determined before submission and to reflect honest and transparent attribution of contributions.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to Impaxon journals, including research articles, review articles, short communications, case studies, editorials, conference papers, and other scholarly publications.

3. Authorship Criteria

An author should normally satisfy all of the following criteria:

• Made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or development of the work;
• Participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;
• Approved the final version before submission and publication;
• Agrees to be accountable for the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the work.

Individuals who do not meet these criteria should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged where appropriate.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

All authors share responsibility for the scientific integrity of the manuscript. Authors should ensure that the work is original, accurate, ethically conducted, appropriately cited, and complies with the journal's publication policies.

Authors should cooperate with editors during peer review and after publication, respond to editorial requests promptly, and assist in correcting the scholarly record where necessary.

5. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the journal and all co-authors throughout submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

• All eligible contributors are included as authors;
• No inappropriate authors are listed;
• All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript;
• All authors agree to the submission;
• Required declarations and disclosures are accurate and complete;
• Editorial communications are shared with all co-authors where appropriate.

6. Equal Contribution

Where two or more authors have contributed equally to the work, this may be indicated in the published article through an appropriate author contribution statement.

Equal contribution statements should accurately reflect the actual work performed and should not be used inappropriately.

7. Author Contribution Statements

Impaxon encourages authors to provide clear author contribution statements describing the contribution made by each listed author.

Contribution statements improve transparency and help readers understand individual roles in the research and manuscript preparation.

8. Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not satisfy the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately, provided their permission has been obtained where necessary.

Examples include technical assistance, language editing, administrative support, statistical advice, funding acquisition, laboratory assistance, or other forms of support that do not justify authorship.

9. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence systems, language models, or other automated tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work.

Authors remain fully responsible for all content generated or assisted by artificial intelligence tools and must comply with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy.

10. Changes in Authorship Before Publication

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission must be explained clearly and approved by all authors, including any author being added or removed.

The corresponding author must provide a written explanation for the requested change and confirm that all authors agree to the revised authorship list and order.

11. Changes in Authorship After Publication

Authorship changes after publication are considered only in exceptional circumstances and require clear justification and written agreement from all affected authors.

Where an authorship change is approved after publication, Impaxon may publish a correction notice to maintain the transparency of the scholarly record.

12. Guest, Gift, and Honorary Authorship

Guest, gift, and honorary authorship are not acceptable. Individuals must not be listed as authors solely because of seniority, supervision, institutional position, friendship, funding support, or general involvement in a research group.

Every listed author must have made a substantial scholarly contribution and must accept responsibility for the work.

13. Ghost Authorship

Ghost authorship is not acceptable. Individuals who made substantial contributions to the research or manuscript preparation must not be omitted from the author list or acknowledgements.

Professional writers, editors, statisticians, technical experts, or other contributors should be acknowledged where their contribution does not meet the criteria for authorship.

14. Authorship Disputes

Authorship disputes should be resolved by the authors and their institutions wherever possible. Impaxon does not determine individual contribution disputes where the facts cannot be verified by the journal.

If a dispute arises during submission or peer review, editorial consideration may be paused until the matter is resolved by the authors or their institution.

15. Institutional Involvement

Where authorship disputes, allegations of inappropriate authorship, or concerns about contribution arise, Impaxon may request clarification from the authors and may refer the matter to the relevant institution or research organisation.

The journal may rely on institutional findings when deciding whether correction, rejection, retraction, or other editorial action is required.

16. Misrepresentation of Authorship

Misrepresentation of authorship may constitute a breach of publication ethics. This includes false authorship claims, omission of eligible authors, inclusion of inappropriate authors, undisclosed writing assistance, or failure to obtain author consent.

Depending on the severity of the issue, Impaxon may request clarification, require correction, reject the manuscript, publish a correction, retract the article, or take other appropriate action.

17. Author Order

Author order is determined by the authors. Impaxon does not assign or arbitrate author order unless there is evidence of misconduct or unresolved dispute affecting the integrity of the publication process.

All authors should agree on the author order before submission.

18. Changes to this Policy

Impaxon may revise this policy periodically to reflect developments in authorship standards, publication ethics guidance, institutional policies, and scholarly publishing best practices.