Modern Studies in Management and Organization

Modern Studies in Management and Organization

Authorship Policy

Authorship Policy

1. Principles of Authorship

Modern Studies in Management & Organization (JMSMO) follows internationally recognized principles of authorship and is guided by the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and relevant Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.

Authorship should be based on all of the following four criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
  2. Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
  3. Final approval of the version to be published; and
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals designated as authors must meet all four criteria. Conversely, all individuals who meet all four criteria should be given the opportunity to be listed as authors.

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

Authorship should reflect genuine intellectual and scholarly contributions to the work. Guest authorship, gift authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are not permitted.


2. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is the primary contact person responsible for communication with JMSMO throughout the submission, peer-review, revision, acceptance, and publication processes.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • ensuring that all listed authors have approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission;
  • providing accurate authorship information;
  • communicating with the journal on behalf of all authors;
  • ensuring that all required declarations and administrative documents are completed accurately;
  • coordinating responses to editorial and peer-review communications;
  • obtaining agreement from all authors regarding any proposed changes in authorship;
  • ensuring that all authors are informed of the final version of the manuscript before publication.

The corresponding author does not necessarily have to be the first or senior author.


3. Author Contributions

Each published article should include an Author Contributions Statement identifying the substantive contributions of each author.

Where appropriate, contributions may include:

  • conceptualization;
  • methodology;
  • data collection or investigation;
  • formal analysis;
  • interpretation of results;
  • writing – original draft;
  • writing – review and editing;
  • supervision;
  • project administration; and
  • other substantial scholarly contributions.

Where two or more authors have contributed equally, this should be clearly stated in the published article.

Author Contributions statements do not replace the requirement that every listed author must meet all four authorship criteria.


4. Acknowledgments

Individuals who have contributed to the work but do not meet all four authorship criteria should not be listed as authors.

Such contributions may include, for example:

  • technical assistance;
  • administrative support;
  • language or editorial assistance;
  • data collection without substantial intellectual contribution;
  • general supervision;
  • financial or material support.

Such individuals may be recognized in the Acknowledgments section, with their permission where appropriate.

Financial support and funding sources should be disclosed separately in accordance with the journal's relevant policies.


5. Changes in Authorship

Authors should determine the authorship list and order before manuscript submission.

Any change in authorship after submission, including the addition, removal, or change in the order of authors, requires:

  • a clear written explanation of the reason for the change;
  • written agreement from all existing authors;
  • written agreement from any author being added or removed; and
  • approval by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated editor.

The journal may request additional documentation when necessary to verify that the proposed change is legitimate.

Changes in authorship after publication will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and must be supported by appropriate documentation and agreement from all relevant authors.

Where a post-publication authorship change is approved, the journal may publish a Corrigendum or other appropriate correction to maintain an accurate scholarly record.


6. Group and Collaborative Authorship

For large collaborative projects, authorship criteria and responsibilities should be agreed upon before submission.

All individuals listed as authors must meet the four authorship criteria described in this policy.

Where a collaborative group is listed as an author, the journal may require clarification of the individual contributions of members of the group.

All listed authors remain responsible for the integrity of their contributions and must comply with the journal's requirements regarding conflicts of interest and other publication-ethics declarations.


7. Authorship Disputes

JMSMO recognizes that authorship disputes may arise during peer review or after publication.

The journal does not normally act as an arbiter of disputes concerning authorship order, inclusion, exclusion, or contribution. Such disputes should primarily be resolved by the authors and, where necessary, by the relevant institution(s) or research integrity authority.

When a credible authorship dispute is brought to the journal's attention, the journal may:

  1. place the manuscript or relevant editorial process on hold;
  2. request a written explanation from the corresponding author and relevant authors;
  3. ask the authors to seek resolution through their institution;
  4. refer the matter to the relevant institutional research integrity body where appropriate; and
  5. take appropriate measures to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal will not normally retract a published article solely because of an authorship dispute if the scientific integrity of the article remains unaffected.

However, if an authorship dispute is accompanied by evidence of research misconduct, copyright infringement, fraudulent authorship information, or other serious publication-ethics violations, the journal may take additional action in accordance with relevant COPE guidance.

Where a significant unresolved dispute may affect readers' understanding of the published record, the journal may consider publishing an Expression of Concern or another appropriate notice.


8. Suspected Authorship Misconduct

Authorship misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • guest, gift, or honorary authorship;
  • ghost authorship;
  • inappropriate exclusion of individuals who meet the authorship criteria;
  • inappropriate addition of individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria;
  • undisclosed changes in authorship;
  • falsification of authorship information; and
  • submitting a manuscript without the knowledge or approval of the listed authors.

When credible concerns regarding authorship misconduct arise, JMSMO will assess the matter and may request relevant documentation from the authors.

Where necessary, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or research integrity authority and will follow applicable COPE guidance and flowcharts.


9. Research Misconduct Related to Authorship

Where authorship concerns are part of a broader allegation of research misconduct, JMSMO may investigate or refer the matter to the appropriate institution.

Research misconduct may include, among other forms:

  • fabrication of data;
  • falsification of data or results;
  • plagiarism;
  • duplicate or redundant publication;
  • inappropriate manipulation of authorship;
  • simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals; and
  • other practices that seriously compromise research or publication integrity.

Depending on the circumstances and the stage of publication, possible actions may include:

  • rejection before publication;
  • correction of the published record;
  • publication of an Expression of Concern; or
  • Retraction in serious cases where the integrity or reliability of the published work has been fundamentally compromised.

JMSMO will cooperate, where appropriate, with authors' institutions and research integrity bodies in order to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.


10. Accountability and Integrity

All authors are collectively responsible for the integrity of the work as a whole and individually responsible for their respective contributions.

Authors should cooperate with reasonable requests from the journal concerning data, methodological clarification, authorship, ethical approvals, conflicts of interest, and other matters necessary to assess the integrity of the published work.


11. Alignment with Publication Ethics Standards

JMSMO is committed to maintaining transparent, fair, and ethical authorship practices and follows relevant international publication-ethics standards, including guidance from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Detailed requirements concerning manuscript preparation and submission are provided in the journal's Author Guidelines.