Authors and Contributors

At ICR Publications Ltd, we recognize that authorship not only provides recognition and credit for work but also holds individuals accountable for the research reported. It confers moral and legal rights, including copyright, and significantly impacts academic careers. Despite its importance, authorship remains a contentious issue often addressed in editorial concerns. The COPE discussion document on authorship delves deeply into these issues, offering practical guidance.

COPE recommends that journals and publishers should have clear guidance in place to allow for transparency about who contributed to the work and in what capacity for authorship and contributorship as well as processes for managing potential disputes.

ICR Publications Ltd requires authors to confirm upon submission that they and their co-authors fulfill the authorship criteria, and we encourage them to provide their ORCID IDs. This practice ensures clarity in authorship claims and facilitates the distinction and connection of authors with their research outputs globally.

We advocate for transparent guidance on authorship and contributorship to clarify contributions and manage potential disputes effectively. The lack of a universal definition of authorship, varying significantly by discipline and community, necessitates this approach. Notably, disciplines like biomedical sciences follow ICMJE guidelines, psychology adopts APA standards, and chemistry relies on EuChemS guidelines, whereas publications in the arts, humanities, and social sciences often feature single authors. https://publicationethics.org/files/COPE_DD_A4_Authorship_SEPT19_SCREEN_AW.pdf

Upon manuscript submission, ICR Publications Ltd ensures all authors are notified and confirms the validity of their emails. To enhance transparency, we publish "author contribution statements" detailing each author’s involvement, supported by the CRediT "Contributor Roles Taxonomy." This taxonomy, which includes 14 standardized terms, enables detailed descriptions of each author's contributions and is linked to their ORCID profiles for comprehensive transparency. See the discussion by McNutt et al. (2018).

Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship but have assisted in some capacity are acknowledged with their consent. This includes acknowledging minors and respecting intercultural research norms, such as attributing traditional knowledge appropriately without compromising anonymity.

Deceased Authors

If a manuscript includes a deceased author, or if an author passes away during peer review, ICR Publications Ltd will note this with a footnote in the published article, typically indicated by a dagger symbol (†). A co-author must vouch for the deceased’s contributions and handle any potential conflicts of interest. If the deceased was the corresponding author, another co-author must be nominated.

Author Name Changes After Publication

ICR Publications Ltd respects the sensitive nature of name changes post-publication, whether due to gender identity alignment, marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. We will update the paper and the associated metadata without publishing a correction notice or notifying co-authors to protect privacy. Authors wishing to change their name should contact the Editorial Office directly.

Authorship Disputes

To address authorship disputes, ICR Publications Ltd refers editors to COPE’s flowcharts and guidelines on spotting authorship problems. Such disputes are typically escalated to the respective institutions if they cannot be resolved internally.

Editors and Journal Staff as Authors

Editors, board members, and journal staff of ICR Publications Ltd are excluded from making editorial decisions regarding their own scholarly submissions. We maintain and publish clear policies for handling such submissions, ensuring impartiality and integrity in peer review.

Authorship change policy and Correction Form

Authors may request to make changes or remove authorship before and after the publication. The editor-in-chief will discuss the case with his or her publishing contact and agree on what action, if any, is required. Our Journals will practice the COPE flowchart to handle these complaints and requests.

To be eligible for manuscript authorship, all the authors must have made significant contributions to the conception, writing, and designing of the work, data, gathering, and analysis. All the authors equally accept the responsibility for all aspects of the work, including the investigation and resolution of any questions about the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work. Those authors who contributed to the work but did not meet the authorship requirements should be acknowledged in the text.

The corresponding author should act as a liaison between the editor and the other authors, informing and involving co-authors in major publication decisions. We reserve the right to request proof that all authors meet the requirements for authorship. To add or remove authors, please download the change authorship form and fill out the necessary information.

COPE Follow charts

Corrections

A correction provides a forum for communicating critical, scientifically relevant errors or missing information in a published article. Any changes made after publication that have an impact on scientific interpretation (for example, changes to a misleading portion of an otherwise reliable publication, an error in a figure, an error in data that does not affect conclusions or the addition of missing details about a method) are announced with a Correction. 

The author must complete the  Correction Submission Form and submit it to the editorial office.

Removal and Additions of Extra Authors Form

The author must complete the Authorship Change Form and Agreement form with the updated authors' contribution statement. 

Corresponding Author Change Request 

The author must complete the  Corresponding Author Change Request Form and submit it to the editorial office.