Authorship and Contributorship

1. Introduction

NERS Jurnal Keperawatan (NJK), published by the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Andalas, is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and accountability in scholarly publishing. The journal recognizes the importance of fair and accurate attribution of authorship and contributorship in research related to nursing science, nursing practice, nursing education, clinical care, and healthcare services.

This policy establishes the criteria for authorship, the responsibilities of authors, the recognition of non-author contributors, and the procedures for addressing authorship-related concerns. NJK follows internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Description

Authorship provides academic recognition and carries responsibility and accountability for the published work. An author is an individual who has made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript and who meets all the authorship criteria established by NJK.

Contributorship refers to contributions to the research or manuscript that deserve recognition but do not meet all the requirements for authorship.

NJK promotes transparency in identifying the individuals responsible for the conception, design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of research. These principles apply to original research, clinical and community-based nursing studies, nursing education research, literature reviews, and other scholarly manuscripts within the journal's scope.

NJK prohibits unethical authorship practices, including:

  • Gift, guest, or honorary authorship: Listing individuals as authors who do not meet the authorship criteria, including solely because of their academic position, seniority, reputation, or institutional authority.

  • Ghost authorship: Excluding individuals who meet the authorship criteria or failing to disclose substantial writing or editorial assistance when disclosure is appropriate.

  • Denial of authorship: Excluding individuals who have made qualifying intellectual contributions to the work.

  • Misrepresentation of contributions: Providing inaccurate or misleading statements about the roles performed by authors or other contributors.

All authors and contributors are expected to uphold research integrity and provide accurate information about their contributions.

3. Policy

3.1 Criteria for Authorship

NJK adopts the four authorship criteria recommended by ICMJE. All individuals designated as authors must meet all four criteria:

  1. Make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the study, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the data.

  2. Draft the manuscript or critically review it for important intellectual content.

  3. Give final approval of the version to be published.

  4. Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the research or manuscript are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals who meet these four criteria should be identified as authors. Individuals who have made substantial initial contributions should be given the opportunity to participate in manuscript preparation or critical review and final approval, as necessary to meet the authorship criteria.

The designation of authorship must reflect actual scholarly contributions rather than professional rank, supervisory authority, financial support, or institutional affiliation alone.

3.2 Contributions That Do Not Qualify for Authorship

Individuals whose contributions do not meet all four authorship criteria should not be listed as authors solely on the basis of those contributions. Their contributions may be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section, where appropriate.

Examples include:

  • Providing general supervision or administrative support.

  • Obtaining funding without making other qualifying intellectual contributions.

  • Providing technical assistance or routine data collection without substantial intellectual contributions to the study.

  • Providing language editing, proofreading, or manuscript formatting.

  • Providing research materials or facilitating access to research settings.

  • Providing other forms of assistance that do not satisfy all authorship criteria.

All individuals named in the Acknowledgements section must provide permission to be acknowledged. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining this permission.

3.3 Order of Authors

The order of authors must be agreed upon by all co-authors before manuscript submission. NJK does not prescribe a universal order of authorship; the order should reflect the nature and extent of the contributions made by each author and the conventions of the relevant research discipline.

Authors are responsible for resolving the order of authorship among themselves. Academic position, professional seniority, or supervisory status alone does not justify a particular position in the author list.

3.4 Corresponding Author Responsibilities

One author must be designated as the corresponding author. The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the authors and NJK throughout submission, peer review, revision, and publication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria.

  • Confirming that all authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript and its subsequent revisions.

  • Confirming that all authors agree to submit the manuscript to NJK.

  • Providing accurate author names, affiliations, and contact information.

  • Ensuring that required statements regarding research ethics, informed consent, conflicts of interest, funding, and author contributions are complete and accurate, as applicable.

  • Communicating relevant editorial correspondence to all co-authors.

  • Coordinating responses to editorial queries and post-publication concerns.

The corresponding author must not submit a manuscript on behalf of co-authors without their knowledge and agreement.

3.5 Author Contributions Statement

NJK encourages transparent reporting of each author's specific contribution to the research and manuscript preparation. Authors should provide an Author Contributions statement when requested by the journal or required by the applicable submission instructions.

The statement should accurately describe each author's role. Depending on the study, contributions may include conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, validation, visualization, writing the original draft, reviewing and editing the manuscript, supervision, and project administration.

The CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework may be used to describe contributions where appropriate.

All listed contributions must reflect work actually performed. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy of the contribution statement and the integrity of the published article.

3.6 Research Ethics and Clinical Responsibilities

For research involving human participants, patients, nurses, healthcare professionals, clinical records, or other identifiable personal information, authors must comply with applicable research ethics requirements and institutional regulations.

Where applicable, manuscripts must report:

  • Approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board, including the committee name and approval reference.

  • Informed consent obtained from participants or their legally authorized representatives, as appropriate.

  • Measures taken to protect participant privacy, confidentiality, and personal data.

  • Appropriate safeguards for vulnerable populations and individuals receiving healthcare.

  • Permission to use identifiable patient information, clinical images, or case details, where required.

  • Relevant trial registration or other research registration information, when applicable.

Authorship does not replace the obligation to obtain ethical approval, informed consent, or other required permissions. Authors must not claim ethical approval or participant consent that was not obtained.

Any exemptions or circumstances in which a requirement does not apply should be accurately explained in the manuscript.

3.7 Changes to Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after initial submission must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief by the corresponding author. The request must include:

  1. A clear explanation of the reason for the proposed change.

  2. Written agreement from all authors, including any author being added or removed.

  3. An updated Author Contributions statement, where applicable.

NJK will assess such requests in accordance with publication ethics principles and may request additional documentation or clarification.

Changes to authorship after acceptance or publication will be considered only when justified and supported by appropriate evidence. If a post-publication change is approved, a correction or other appropriate editorial action may be required.

The journal reserves the right to suspend manuscript processing while an authorship change request or related concern is being assessed.

3.8 Group Authorship and Collaborative Research

For multicenter studies, collaborative nursing research, or manuscripts submitted by a consortium or research group, the group name may be included in the author list where appropriate.

The corresponding author must clearly identify the individuals who qualify for authorship and specify their contributions. All individuals designated as authors must meet the journal's authorship criteria and accept accountability for the work.

Contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria may be acknowledged separately, with their permission.

3.9 Use of Artificial Intelligence in Manuscript Preparation

NJK requires authors to disclose the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies when such use is relevant to the preparation or reporting of a submitted manuscript, in accordance with the journal's applicable submission instructions and publication ethics requirements.

Authors should describe the AI tool used and the purpose of its use, such as language improvement, editing, summarization, or assistance with data analysis, where applicable.

AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and accountability required of authors.

Human authors remain fully responsible for verifying AI-generated content, checking references and factual claims, protecting confidential information, and ensuring that the manuscript does not contain fabricated data, misleading statements, plagiarism, or inappropriate disclosure of personal information.

The use of AI does not replace the need for appropriate research methods, ethical approval, informed consent, or human judgment.

3.10 Accountability and Research Integrity

All authors are collectively responsible for the integrity of the work and individually accountable for their contributions. Authors should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for particular parts of the work and should have confidence in the integrity of their co-authors' contributions.

Authors must ensure that the manuscript accurately reports the research conducted, including its methods, findings, limitations, and relevant ethical considerations.

NJK may request clarification, supporting documentation, or additional statements concerning authorship and contributions at any stage of editorial assessment, peer review, or after publication.

4. Technicalities to Achieve and Materialize the Policies

4.1 Authorship Declaration

At submission, the corresponding author must confirm that:

  • All listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria.

  • All authors have approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission to NJK.

  • The author list and contribution statements are accurate.

  • Any required ethical approval, informed consent, funding, conflict of interest, and AI-use disclosures have been provided, as applicable.

NJK may request an authorship declaration form or additional written confirmation from the authors when necessary.

4.2 Prevention of Authorship Disputes

NJK encourages research teams to discuss authorship eligibility, author contributions, and the order of authors before or at the beginning of a research project. These agreements should be reviewed as the project develops and contributions change.

Maintaining written records of authorship agreements and contribution assignments is recommended.

4.3 Handling Authorship Disputes Before Publication

When an authorship dispute arises before publication, NJK will request that the authors attempt to resolve the disagreement through appropriate communication and, where necessary, their respective institutions.

The journal does not ordinarily determine individual authorship entitlement or arbitrate disputes that require institutional investigation. Manuscript processing may be suspended until the dispute has been resolved satisfactorily.

Where credible concerns about research or publication misconduct arise, NJK may follow relevant publication ethics guidance and request additional information from the authors or their institutions.

4.4 Handling Authorship Concerns After Publication

If a credible authorship concern or allegation of misconduct is raised after publication, NJK will assess the matter fairly and confidentially, in accordance with relevant publication ethics guidance.

The journal may contact the authors, request supporting documentation, seek information from the relevant institution, or consider an appropriate correction, expression of concern, or retraction when warranted by the findings.

Any editorial action will be based on the available evidence and the seriousness of the concern.

4.5 Institutional Responsibilities

Authors are expected to comply with applicable institutional research policies, professional standards, funding requirements, and relevant national regulations.

The journal encourages authors to consult institutional research ethics committees and other appropriate authorities when questions arise concerning authorship eligibility, research integrity, or ethical conduct.

4.6 Policy Review

NJK may periodically review and update this policy to reflect developments in publication ethics, authorship standards, research practices, and scholarly publishing technology.

Policy updates will be communicated through the journal's official website or other appropriate journal communication channels.

References and Guidance

Authors are encouraged to consult the following resources:

NERS Jurnal Keperawatan (NJK) is committed to ensuring fair attribution, transparent reporting of contributions, and accountability for all scholarly work published in the journal.