Authorship recognizes substantial intellectual contribution and carries responsibility for the published work. Roles and accountability should be agreed before submission.

Who qualifies as an author

An author should have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, evidence, analysis or interpretation; participated in drafting or substantive revision; approved the final version; and agreed to be accountable for their contribution and to assist in resolving questions about the work.

Funding acquisition, general supervision, administrative access or institutional seniority alone does not justify authorship. Gift, guest and undisclosed authorship are unacceptable. Contributors who do not meet the authorship requirements may be acknowledged with their permission, accurately describing their role.

Contribution statement and correspondence

Provide an author contribution statement identifying the work undertaken by each author. Describe relevant roles such as conceptualization, methods, data collection, analysis, interpretation and writing. The statement should reflect actual work rather than assign every role to every author.

The corresponding author manages communications, confirms all authors’ approval and ensures that declarations and files are complete. Each author remains responsible for reviewing the manuscript and the contribution attributed to them. Availability for correspondence does not transfer collective responsibility to one person.

Changes and disputes

Requests to add, remove or reorder authors after submission must explain the reason and include agreement from all affected authors, including any person being added or removed. The editor may seek further information or pause assessment while a dispute is resolved. Changes after publication require formal consideration and, where justified, an appropriate notice.

Editors cannot adjudicate employment or institutional contribution disputes solely from a manuscript. Such disputes may require resolution by the responsible institution. Do not omit a contributor or list a person without their knowledge to avoid a disagreement.

AI and collective authorship

AI tools cannot qualify as authors because they cannot approve the final work or accept responsibility. Human authors must disclose material AI use and verify its output under the AI Use Policy. For collective or group authorship, identify the accountable contributors and explain the group’s role clearly.

Updated 5 October 2026 · Questions: JPOII Editorial Office