AUTHORSHIP AND CONTRIBUTORSHIP POLICY

1. Introduction and Scope

Environmental and Agriculture Management (EAM) is committed to ensuring that authorship accurately reflects substantial intellectual contributions and accountability for published research. The journal recognizes that transparent authorship practices are essential for maintaining research integrity, assigning appropriate academic credit, and preventing disputes or misrepresentation of scholarly contributions.

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to EAM, including original research articles, review articles, case studies, and short communications. It establishes the criteria for authorship eligibility, the recognition of individual contributions, the responsibilities of authors, and the procedures for addressing authorship changes and disputes.

EAM adopts authorship principles consistent with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Authorship Criteria

Authorship must be based on meaningful intellectual contributions and a commitment to the integrity of the published work.

To qualify as an author, an individual must meet all four of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Contribution: Have made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the study, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of research data.

  2. Manuscript Preparation: Have participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.

  3. Final Approval: Have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript intended for publication.

  4. Accountability: Have agreed to take responsibility for all aspects of the work, ensuring that concerns regarding its accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All four criteria must be satisfied. Individuals who meet these requirements must be appropriately included as authors, while those who do not meet all criteria should be recognized through acknowledgments where appropriate.

Contributors who make substantial research contributions should be given a reasonable opportunity to participate in manuscript preparation, critical revision, and final approval.

Authorship must not be granted solely on the basis of academic position, institutional authority, financial support, general supervision, or personal relationships.

3. Author Contributions and CRediT Taxonomy

EAM encourages transparent reporting of individual contributions through an Author Contributions statement, particularly for manuscripts involving multiple authors.

Authors are encouraged to use the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), which identifies 14 standardized contribution categories:

  • Conceptualization

  • Data curation

  • Formal analysis

  • Funding acquisition

  • Investigation

  • Methodology

  • Project administration

  • Resources

  • Software

  • Supervision

  • Validation

  • Visualization

  • Writing – original draft

  • Writing – review & editing

Each author's contribution should accurately reflect the activities performed during the research and manuscript preparation. Multiple contributors may share the same role, and individual authors may perform several roles.

CRediT classifications support transparency but do not independently determine authorship eligibility. All listed authors must still satisfy the journal's four authorship criteria.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that contribution statements accurately represent the involvement of each author and have been agreed upon by all co-authors.

4. Non-Author Contributors and Acknowledgments

Individuals who have contributed to a study but do not satisfy all authorship criteria should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section, where appropriate.

Such contributions may include technical assistance, routine laboratory support, administrative assistance, language editing, logistical support, field assistance, or general research supervision when these activities do not independently satisfy the authorship requirements.

The nature of each acknowledged contribution should be described accurately. Authors should obtain permission from individuals named in the acknowledgments because acknowledgment may imply their endorsement of the work.

Financial support should be identified in the Funding Statement in accordance with the journal's publication policies.

EAM does not permit the inclusion of individuals as authors solely as a gesture of appreciation, professional courtesy, or institutional recognition.

5. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the authors and the editorial office throughout submission, peer review, publication, and relevant post-publication communications.

The corresponding author must ensure that:

  • All eligible contributors are appropriately included as authors and that no ineligible individuals are listed.

  • All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript and agreed to its submission to EAM.

  • The authorship order and individual contributions have been agreed upon by all authors.

  • All authors approve the final manuscript before publication.

  • Required declarations concerning funding, competing interests, ethical approval, data availability, and AI use are accurately provided.

  • Editorial correspondence, reviewer comments, and revision requests are communicated to the relevant co-authors.

  • Requests for supporting information or clarification concerning the published work are addressed appropriately.

The corresponding author's administrative responsibilities do not diminish the individual and collective accountability of the other authors.

All authors must be able to identify their own contributions, recognize the responsibilities of their co-authors, and cooperate in addressing legitimate questions regarding the integrity of the work.

6. Authorship Order and Changes

The order of authors must be determined collectively by the author group before manuscript submission. EAM does not prescribe a particular authorship order or assign authorship positions based on academic rank, institutional affiliation, or professional seniority.

Any proposed addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors after submission must be justified and approved by the editor before the manuscript proceeds further.

Requests for authorship changes must be submitted by the corresponding author and include:

  • A clear explanation of the proposed change and its justification.

  • Written agreement from all listed authors, including individuals being added or removed.

  • An updated Author Contributions statement, where applicable.

The editorial team may request additional documentation to verify the legitimacy of the proposed change.

Authorship changes after manuscript acceptance will be considered only under exceptional circumstances. Changes requested after publication may require an appropriate published correction and supporting documentation.

No change to the authorship list should be made without appropriate authorization and agreement from the individuals concerned. For more information detail please check our Change Author Template.

7. Authorship Disputes and Misconduct

EAM does not tolerate inappropriate authorship practices, including:

  • Gift or honorary authorship: Including individuals who do not meet authorship criteria as a reward, courtesy, or acknowledgment of professional status.

  • Guest authorship: Including individuals primarily to increase the perceived credibility or publication prospects of a manuscript without qualifying contributions.

  • Ghost authorship: Excluding individuals who meet authorship criteria or deliberately concealing qualifying contributions to the research or manuscript.

Authorship disputes should initially be addressed by the authors involved. When agreement cannot be reached, the matter should be referred to the relevant institution or research organization for appropriate investigation or mediation.

The journal does not independently adjudicate competing claims to authorship. However, the editorial team may request supporting documentation, seek clarification from the parties involved, or suspend manuscript evaluation or publication until the matter is adequately resolved.

Suspected authorship misconduct will be handled fairly and confidentially, in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement and relevant COPE guidance.

When an authorship problem is identified after publication, EAM may issue an appropriate correction or take further editorial action when justified by the available evidence.

8. Authorship Accountability and Artificial Intelligence

All authors are collectively responsible for maintaining the accuracy, originality, transparency, and ethical integrity of their published work.

Generative artificial intelligence tools, large language models, chatbots, and other automated systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot fulfill the responsibilities of scholarly authorship.

Authors remain fully accountable for all manuscript content developed with AI assistance, including text, references, analyses, figures, and interpretations.

Substantive use of AI-assisted technologies must be disclosed in accordance with EAM's Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scholarly Publishing.

Authorship declarations and contribution statements must accurately reflect human contributions. The use of AI tools does not remove or transfer authorship responsibilities.

EAM is committed to maintaining transparent, fair, and responsible authorship practices. This policy should be read together with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement, Peer Review Process and Policy, and applicable editorial guidelines.