Authorship Policy

Emergent Life Sciences Research (ELSR) is committed to ensuring that authorship accurately reflects genuine intellectual and scientific contributions to published work.

Authorship provides academic credit and also carries responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and accountability of the research.

All individuals listed as authors should meet the authorship requirements of ELSR. Individuals who do not meet these requirements should not be included as authors.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the author list, author order, affiliations, and contribution information are accurate at the time of manuscript submission.

 

1. Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual or scientific contributions to the research and manuscript.

An author should have contributed significantly to one or more of the following activities:

• Conception or design of the study.
• Development of the research methodology.
• Conduct of the investigation.
• Collection or generation of research data.
• Data analysis.
• Statistical or computational analysis.
• Interpretation of research findings.
• Preparation of the original manuscript.
• Substantial critical revision of the manuscript.

In addition, all authors should:

• Review and approve the final version of the manuscript.
• Agree to the submission of the manuscript to ELSR.
• Accept responsibility for their own contributions.
• Cooperate with reasonable enquiries concerning the accuracy or integrity of the work.

Authorship should reflect genuine contribution and should not be based solely on academic position, professional status, institutional authority, or personal relationships.

 

2. Responsibility and Accountability of Authors

Each author is responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their own contribution to the work.

Authors should have sufficient knowledge of the research to understand the overall scientific context of the manuscript.

Where questions arise regarding the accuracy or integrity of a specific part of the work, authors are expected to cooperate in identifying the individuals responsible for that part of the research and in addressing the concern.

All authors share responsibility for supporting the integrity of the published scientific record.

Approval of the final manuscript indicates that the authors accept the presentation of their names and contributions in the article.

 

3. Individuals Who Should Not Normally Be Listed as Authors

Individuals should not be listed as authors solely because they have provided:

• General supervision.
• Administrative support.
• Routine technical assistance.
• Language editing.
• Proofreading.
• Funding acquisition without substantial intellectual contribution.
• Laboratory space or research facilities.
• Research materials.
• Institutional support.
• General advice that did not substantially influence the scientific work.

Such contributions may be recognized in the Acknowledgements section where appropriate.

An individual who has provided one or more of these forms of support may qualify for authorship if they have also made a substantial intellectual or scientific contribution and meet the other authorship requirements of ELSR.

 

4. Guest, Gift, and Honorary Authorship

ELSR does not support guest, gift, or honorary authorship.

Guest authorship refers to the inclusion of an individual primarily to increase the perceived credibility, visibility, or publication potential of a manuscript despite insufficient contribution.

Gift authorship refers to the inclusion of an individual as a personal or professional favour without an appropriate authorship contribution.

Honorary authorship refers to the inclusion of an individual primarily because of seniority, position, reputation, or institutional authority.

Individuals should not be added to a manuscript for these reasons.

Where inappropriate authorship is suspected, the Editorial Office may request clarification or documentation regarding author contributions.

 

5. Ghost Authorship

Individuals who have made substantial contributions that would normally qualify for authorship should not be intentionally excluded from the author list.

The undisclosed omission of a qualifying contributor may constitute ghost authorship.

Authors should transparently identify individuals who contributed substantially to the research or preparation of the manuscript.

Where professional writing, editorial, statistical, or other specialist assistance has been provided, the nature of the assistance should be disclosed where appropriate.

Funding associated with such assistance should also be disclosed when relevant.

 

6. Author Contributions Statement

ELSR requires an Author Contributions Statement for manuscripts submitted to the journal.

The statement should describe the contributions of individual authors clearly and accurately.

Authors may describe contributions using roles such as:

• Conceptualization.
• Methodology.
• Investigation.
• Data curation.
• Formal analysis.
• Software.
• Validation.
• Visualization.
• Writing – Original Draft.
• Writing – Review & Editing.
• Supervision.
• Project administration.
• Funding acquisition.

The Author Contributions Statement should reflect the actual work performed by each author.

Example:

Author Contributions: M.K.K.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing – Original Draft. D.Y.: Data Analysis, Visualization, Writing – Review & Editing. R.S.: Supervision and Project Administration. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Contribution statements do not replace the journal's authorship requirements.

An individual should not be listed as an author solely because a contribution role has been assigned to their name.

 

7. Author Order

The order of authors should be determined collectively by the authors.

ELSR does not determine the scientific importance of individual authors based on author position and does not normally decide the order in which authors should be listed.

All authors should agree to the author order before manuscript submission.

Disputes concerning author order should normally be resolved by the authors or their institutions.

The journal may suspend editorial processing when an unresolved authorship dispute affects the integrity or approval of the submitted author list.

 

8. First Authors and Co-First Authorship

Where two or more authors have contributed equally and the authors wish to indicate equal contribution, this should be clearly stated in the manuscript.

For example:

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Requests for co-first authorship should reflect genuine equal contribution.

The journal may request clarification regarding the contributions of authors identified as equal contributors.

The order of equally contributing authors should be agreed by the authors.

 

9. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the authors and the ELSR Editorial Office.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

• Ensuring that all authors meet the journal's authorship requirements.
• Confirming that all authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript.
• Ensuring that all authors agree to manuscript submission.
• Providing accurate author names and affiliations.
• Managing communication with the Editorial Office.
• Coordinating responses to reviewer and editorial comments.
• Coordinating manuscript revisions.
• Communicating editorial decisions to the co-authors.
• Ensuring that required declarations and publication information are complete.
• Coordinating completion of publication forms after acceptance.
• Informing the Editorial Office of relevant changes or concerns.

The corresponding author should maintain effective communication with all co-authors throughout the editorial and publication process.

Corresponding authorship does not imply greater ownership of the research or sole responsibility for the scientific work.

 

10. Author Names and Affiliations

Authors are responsible for providing their names and institutional affiliations accurately.

Author names should be presented consistently with the form used in the author's scientific publications whenever possible.

Affiliations should normally reflect the institution where the research was conducted or where the author was formally associated during the research.

Where an author has moved to another institution, a present address may be provided separately where appropriate.

The corresponding author should carefully verify author names, affiliations, and contact information before submission and again during proof review.

ELSR is not responsible for errors in author information provided by the authors.

 

11. ORCID Identification

Authors are encouraged to provide an ORCID iD during manuscript submission.

ORCID identifiers support accurate researcher identification and help distinguish authors with similar names.

Authors should provide only their own authenticated ORCID iD.

An author should not create, modify, or provide an ORCID identifier on behalf of another author without appropriate authorization.

Where supported by the journal's submission system, ORCID information may be included in the published article metadata.

 

12. Changes to Authorship Before Acceptance

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission should be made only when there is a valid reason.

Authorship changes may include:

• Addition of an author.
• Removal of an author.
• Change in author order.
• Change in equal-contribution designation.
• Change in the corresponding author.

The corresponding author should submit the request to the Editorial Office.

The request should include:

• A clear explanation for the proposed change.
• The reason why the original author list requires modification.
• Confirmation that all authors agree to the proposed change.
• Written consent from any author being added or removed.

The Editorial Office may request additional information or documentation.

Editorial processing may be suspended until the authorship matter is resolved.

ELSR reserves the right not to approve an authorship change when the request is insufficiently explained or raises concerns regarding authorship integrity.

 

13. Addition of an Author

A request to add an author should explain the individual's contribution to the research or manuscript.

The proposed author should meet the ELSR authorship requirements.

The Editorial Office may request:

• A revised Author Contributions Statement.
• Written agreement from all existing authors.
• Written consent from the proposed author.
• An explanation of why the individual was not included in the original submission.

Addition of an author is not automatic and may be examined by the responsible Editor.

 

14. Removal of an Author

A request to remove an author should include a clear explanation.

The Editorial Office may require written confirmation from:

• The corresponding author.
• The author proposed for removal.
• The remaining authors.

If an author disputes their removal, the journal may suspend the editorial process while the matter is considered.

ELSR will not normally remove an author solely on the request of another author when there is an unresolved authorship dispute.

 

15. Changes in Author Order

All authors should agree to requests to change the order of authors after submission.

The corresponding author should explain the reason for the requested change.

The Editorial Office may request written confirmation from all authors before approving the revised author order.

Changes made solely for inappropriate academic, institutional, or administrative advantage may raise concerns regarding authorship integrity.

 

16. Authorship Changes After Acceptance

Authorship changes after acceptance are expected to be rare.

Requests submitted after acceptance will be considered only when there is a clear and justified reason.

The journal may require detailed documentation and a written agreement from all authors.

Production or publication may be delayed while the request is examined.

ELSR may decline a late authorship change when the request cannot be adequately justified.

Authors are therefore strongly encouraged to confirm the complete and correct author list before manuscript submission and before final acceptance.

 

17. Authorship Changes After Publication

Requests to change authorship after publication are considered serious matters because the published article forms part of the scientific record.

Where an authorship change is justified after publication, the journal may require:

• A detailed explanation.
• Written agreement from the authors.
• Revised contribution information.
• Relevant institutional information or documentation.

If an authorship change is approved, ELSR may publish an appropriate correction notice.

Authorship changes after publication will be handled in conjunction with the ELSR Corrections & Retractions Policy.

 

18. Authorship Disputes

ELSR encourages authors to resolve authorship questions before manuscript submission.

The journal may seek clarification regarding authorship contributions but is not normally responsible for determining the legal or institutional ownership of research or resolving personal disputes between researchers.

Where an authorship dispute cannot be resolved by the authors, the journal may request that the matter be addressed by the relevant institution or other appropriate authority.

Editorial evaluation or publication may be suspended until the journal receives sufficient information to proceed.

The journal may act on the basis of an institutional determination where appropriate.

 

19. Deceased Authors

A deceased individual may remain or be included as an author when the individual made a qualifying contribution to the work and the authorship is scientifically appropriate.

The corresponding author should inform the Editorial Office if an author dies during the editorial or publication process.

Where appropriate, the published article may include an indication that the author is deceased.

The remaining authors should ensure that the deceased author's contributions are described accurately.

Any legal or ethical considerations relating to the deceased author's unpublished material should be appropriately addressed.

 

20. Group or Consortium Authorship

ELSR may consider manuscripts submitted on behalf of research groups, networks, or consortia.

The manuscript should clearly identify:

• The group or consortium name.
• The individuals who meet authorship requirements.
• The contributions of the authors or group members, where appropriate.
• The individual responsible for correspondence with the journal.

Individuals identified as authors should meet the journal's authorship requirements.

Other group members or collaborators may be listed separately where appropriate.

The presentation of consortium authorship may be adjusted to support accurate article metadata and indexing.

 

21. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence tools, generative AI systems, language models, and similar technologies must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

Such systems cannot:

• Approve the final manuscript.
• Accept responsibility for the research.
• Respond to questions concerning scientific integrity.
• Declare conflicts of interest.
• Enter into publication agreements.
• Accept accountability for published content.

Authors remain fully responsible for content produced, revised, summarized, translated, or otherwise assisted by AI tools.

The use of AI-assisted tools should be disclosed in accordance with the ELSR AI and Generative AI Policy.

 

22. Suspected Authorship Misconduct

Potential authorship misconduct may include:

• Guest authorship.
• Gift authorship.
• Honorary authorship.
• Ghost authorship.
• Intentional exclusion of a qualifying author.
• Addition of an individual without their knowledge or consent.
• False representation of author contributions.
• Manipulation of author order for inappropriate purposes.
• Submission of false authorship information.
• Unauthorized use of an individual's identity as an author.

When an authorship concern is identified, the Editorial Office may request explanations, contribution statements, written author confirmations, or other relevant information.

The editorial process may be suspended while the concern is examined.

Serious or unresolved concerns may be referred to the relevant institution or other responsible authority.

Editorial action will be taken in accordance with the ELSR Publication Ethics Policy and other relevant journal policies.

 

23. Author Responsibility for Authorship Information

Authors are collectively responsible for ensuring that authorship information submitted to ELSR is accurate.

The corresponding author has an important coordinating role but does not remove the responsibility of individual co-authors to verify their authorship and contribution information.

Each author should review:

• Their name.
• Affiliation.
• Author order.
• Contribution statement.
• Conflict of interest information.
• Other author-related information.

Authors should notify the Editorial Office promptly if an error or authorship concern is identified.

 

24. Authorship Policy Oversight

The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Office are responsible for overseeing the implementation of this Authorship Policy.

ELSR may request additional information when authorship questions arise.

The journal may review and update its authorship procedures to support transparency, accountability, and responsible scholarly publishing.

All authors submitting to ELSR are expected to comply with this Authorship Policy.