Contribution statements identify how the research was produced and who is responsible for its different elements. GGSR uses the CRediT contributor taxonomy where applicable to make these contributions clear. CRediT supplements the journal’s authorship criteria; assigning a contributor role does not by itself establish eligibility for authorship.

Preparing the statement

Discuss contributions with all authors before submission. Assign the roles that describe the work actually performed. One author may have several roles, and several authors may share a role. The statement should distinguish substantive participation from an honorary description or an assumption based on seniority.

The taxonomy comprises 14 roles: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Software; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Writing – original draft; and Writing – review & editing. Authors should consult the official role descriptions when the meaning of a role is uncertain.

Applying roles to governance research

Conceptualization may involve developing the research question and theoretical argument. Investigation may cover interviews, archival research, surveys, or other evidence collection. Data curation concerns organizing and documenting research material; Formal analysis concerns applying analytical procedures. Writing roles distinguish preparation of the initial text from substantive critical revision. These examples illustrate possible contributions and do not require every study to assign every role.

An illustrative statement is: “Author A: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – original draft. Author B: Investigation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing.” Authors must replace such examples with an accurate account of their own work.

Approval, acknowledgements, and changes

All authors must approve the statement and author order. Funding acquisition, routine administration, resource provision, or general supervision alone does not justify authorship. Other assistance should be acknowledged with the contributor’s permission. A single-author paper should identify the author’s relevant responsibilities where a contribution statement is requested.

Update contributions when the work changes materially during revision. Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors require an explanation and written agreement from all affected contributors. See Authorship for accountability, changes, and disputes.