Authorship policy

Authorship and Contribution Policy

Innovations in STEAM: Research & Education (ISRE) recognizes that accurate authorship attribution and transparent contributor acknowledgment are essential to maintaining research integrity and scholarly accountability. This policy adheres to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations, COPE Core Practices, and the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework for defining author contributions.

1. Authorship Criteria

An author is defined as an individual who has made a substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. In accordance with the ICMJE Authorship Criteria (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations), authorship requires meeting all of the following four conditions:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
  3. Final approval of the version to be published.
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring accuracy and integrity.

Individuals who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section, not listed as authors.

2. Contributor Roles (CRediT Taxonomy)

To promote transparency, ISRE uses the CRediT taxonomy ((Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to identify each author’s specific contribution. Authors must specify their roles from the following categories:

  • Conceptualization – Formulation or evolution of research goals and aims.
  • Methodology – Development or design of methodology; creation of models.
  • Software – Programming, software development, or data visualization.
  • Validation – Verification and reproducibility of results.
  • Formal Analysis – Statistical or computational analysis.
  • Investigation – Conducting the research and data collection.
  • Resources – Provision of materials, tools, or data.
  • Data Curation – Managing and maintaining research data.
  • Writing – Original Draft – Initial preparation and writing of the manuscript.
  • Writing – Review & Editing – Critical revision and editing of the manuscript.
  • Visualization – Preparation of figures, tables, or graphics.
  • Supervision – Oversight and leadership responsibility for the research activity.
  • Project Administration – Coordination and management of research.
  • Funding Acquisition – Securing financial support for the project.

Each author’s contribution must be clearly listed in the published article to ensure accountability and transparency.

3. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

  • Ensuring all listed authors meet authorship criteria and approve the final manuscript.
  • Managing communication between the editorial office and co-authors.
  • Disclosing any potential conflicts of interest for all authors.
  • Confirming ethical approvals and consent statements for studies involving humans or animals.

4. Changes in Authorship

Any request to remove or reorder authors after submission must include:

  • A written explanation from the Corresponding Author,
  • Written consent from all authors (including the one being added or removed),
  • Editorial approval following COPE’s Authorship Change Guidelines.

Unauthorized changes to authorship during review or after acceptance are not permitted. The Editorial Board may delay or reject publication until disputes are resolved according to COPE’s flowcharts.

5. Ethical and Legal Responsibility

Authors share collective responsibility for the integrity of the research and publication. In cases of suspected misconduct (e.g., ghost authorship, honorary or gift authorship), ISRE follows COPE flowcharts for transparent resolution.

6. Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Research

Given ISRE’s interdisciplinary focus, collaborations across Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) are encouraged. All contributors must adhere to the same ethical authorship standards.

7. Transparency and Accountability

ISRE promotes full transparency in authorship to uphold integrity in scholarly publishing. This policy aligns with: