Authorship and Contributorship Policy

  1. Introduction

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability in scholarly publishing. The journal recognizes that accurate attribution of authorship and contributorship is fundamental to maintaining the credibility of academic research and ensuring that individuals receive appropriate recognition for their intellectual contributions.

This policy establishes the criteria for authorship, defines the responsibilities of authors and contributors, and outlines procedures for identifying, acknowledging, and resolving authorship-related matters. It aims to ensure that all individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to research and manuscript preparation are appropriately recognized, while preventing unethical authorship practices.

The policy is informed by internationally recognized principles and recommendations issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), adapted where appropriate to the disciplinary characteristics of the social sciences and interdisciplinary research.

  1. Description

Authorship represents formal recognition of an individual's substantial intellectual contribution to scholarly research and manuscript preparation. It carries academic, professional, ethical, and legal implications and establishes responsibility and accountability for the integrity of the published work.

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) defines an author as an individual who has made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript and who accepts responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the published work.

Contributorship refers to participation in research activities or manuscript preparation that warrants acknowledgment but does not necessarily fulfill all the requirements for authorship.

The journal recognizes that research in the social sciences may involve various contributors, including researchers, field assistants, survey enumerators, interviewers, data analysts, technical personnel, and research coordinators. Appropriate recognition must be provided according to the nature and extent of their contributions.

Unethical authorship practices undermine the integrity of scholarly publishing. Accordingly, TSSS explicitly prohibits:

  • Gift, Guest, or Honorary Authorship: Granting authorship to individuals who do not satisfy the established authorship criteria, including individuals included solely because of their seniority, institutional position, reputation, or personal relationships.
  • Ghost Authorship: Omitting individuals who satisfy the authorship criteria or failing to disclose substantial writing or editorial assistance.
  • Denial of Authorship: Excluding individuals who have fulfilled the required authorship criteria.
  • Misrepresentation of Contributions: Providing inaccurate or misleading information about an individual's involvement in research or manuscript preparation.

Transparency regarding authorship and contributorship is essential. TSSS encourages authors to clearly describe individual contributions and to establish authorship agreements before manuscript submission.

  1. Policy

3.1. Criteria for Authorship

TSSS requires that all individuals identified as authors fulfill the following four criteria, adapted from the ICMJE recommendations:

  1. Substantial Intellectual Contribution: Making a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the research; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of research data.
  2. Manuscript Preparation: Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
  3. Final Approval: Reviewing and approving the final version of the manuscript to be published.
  4. Accountability: Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work and ensuring that questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of any part of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All four criteria must be satisfied for an individual to qualify for authorship.

Individuals who meet the first criterion should be given a reasonable opportunity to participate in manuscript drafting or critical revision and final approval.

All individuals who fulfill the authorship criteria must be included as authors, while those who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

3.2. Non-Author Contributors (Acknowledgments)

Individuals who contribute to research or manuscript preparation but do not fulfill all authorship criteria should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section.

Examples of contributions that may warrant acknowledgment include:

  • Acquisition of research funding.
  • General supervision or administrative support.
  • Assistance with surveys, interviews, questionnaires, or field observations.
  • Data collection without substantial intellectual involvement in research design, analysis, or interpretation.
  • Technical assistance with data processing or statistical software.
  • Language editing, proofreading, or manuscript formatting.
  • Providing access to research locations, institutional documents, or other research resources.
  • Providing logistical or organizational support during research implementation.

Funding acquisition, institutional leadership, and general research supervision alone do not automatically justify authorship.

All individuals identified in the Acknowledgments section must provide permission to be acknowledged.

The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining such permission.

3.3. Order of Authors

The order in which authors are listed must be determined collectively by the authors based on their respective contributions and mutual agreement.

TSSS does not prescribe a specific authorship order. Authors should establish and agree upon the order before submitting their manuscript.

Any changes to the authorship order must be justified and approved by all authors.

The journal reserves the right to request clarification regarding authorship order when concerns arise.

3.4. Corresponding Author

One author must be designated as the corresponding author.

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the authors and the journal throughout the submission, peer-review, revision, publication, and post-publication processes.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  1. Ensuring that all listed authors satisfy the journal's authorship criteria.
  2. Confirming that all authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.
  3. Managing communication between the editorial office and all co-authors.
  4. Ensuring the accuracy of author names, affiliations, and contact information.
  5. Coordinating manuscript revisions and obtaining approval from all authors.
  6. Ensuring that funding information, conflicts of interest, and relevant ethical declarations are accurately disclosed.
  7. Responding to editorial inquiries and post-publication concerns.
  8. Maintaining relevant documentation regarding authorship agreements and author contributions.

The corresponding author must ensure that no individual is included or excluded from the author list without appropriate justification and agreement.

3.5. Changes to Authorship

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript 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 proposed authorship change.
  2. Written confirmation from all existing authors.
  3. Written consent from any author being added or removed.
  4. An updated author contribution statement, where applicable.

The editorial team will evaluate each request based on the journal's authorship criteria and relevant publication ethics guidelines.

Authorship changes after manuscript acceptance are strongly discouraged and will only be considered under exceptional circumstances.

If an authorship change is approved after publication, the journal may issue an appropriate correction notice to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

3.6. Author Contribution Statements

TSSS encourages authors to provide an Author Contributions statement describing each author's specific involvement in the research and manuscript preparation.

The journal recommends the use of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to promote transparency and consistent reporting.

Relevant contribution categories may include:

  • Conceptualization
  • Methodology
  • Software
  • Validation
  • Formal Analysis
  • Investigation
  • Resources
  • Data Curation
  • Writing – Original Draft
  • Writing – Review and Editing
  • Visualization
  • Supervision
  • Project Administration
  • Funding Acquisition

Authors may identify multiple contribution categories for each individual.

However, assignment to a CRediT role does not automatically establish eligibility for authorship. All listed authors must meet the journal's established authorship criteria.

3.7. Prohibition of Unethical Authorship Practices

TSSS strictly prohibits unethical authorship practices, including gift authorship, guest authorship, honorary authorship, ghost authorship, and deliberate misrepresentation of author contributions.

All authors must satisfy the journal's authorship criteria and accept responsibility for the integrity of their contributions.

Individuals or organizations providing professional writing assistance, technical editing, language editing, or other substantial support must be appropriately acknowledged when they do not qualify for authorship.

The use of artificial intelligence tools in manuscript preparation must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's applicable artificial intelligence policy.

Artificial intelligence systems and tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot independently fulfill the requirements for authorship accountability, approval, and responsibility.

3.8. Group Authorship and Collaborative Research

TSSS recognizes that social science research may involve research groups, institutional collaborations, interdisciplinary teams, and multi-institutional research projects.

When a manuscript is submitted on behalf of a research group or consortium, the corresponding author must clearly identify the individuals who meet the journal's authorship criteria.

A group name may be included where appropriate, provided that the contributions and responsibilities of individual members are clearly documented.

Individuals who contributed to the project but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section.

The corresponding author must ensure that all authors understand and accept their respective responsibilities for the submitted work.

  1. Technical Implementation of the Policy

4.1. Authorship Declaration

During manuscript submission, the corresponding author must confirm that:

  1. All listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria.
  2. All authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript.
  3. All authors consent to submission to TSSS.
  4. The author list and authorship order have been agreed upon.
  5. All relevant contributions and acknowledgments have been accurately reported.
  6. Potential conflicts of interest have been appropriately disclosed.

The journal may request an authorship declaration or contribution statement as part of the submission process.

4.2. Managing Authorship Disputes

TSSS is committed to handling authorship disputes fairly, transparently, and consistently with internationally recognized publication ethics principles.

  1. Prevention

Authors are strongly encouraged to discuss authorship eligibility, author order, and individual contributions at the beginning of the research project.

Authorship agreements should be reviewed when research responsibilities change or new contributors become involved.

Written documentation of authorship agreements is recommended.

  1. Disputes Before Publication

If an authorship dispute arises before publication, the editorial team may request clarification and supporting documentation from the corresponding author and other relevant parties.

The journal will generally not determine ownership of disputed intellectual contributions independently.

Where appropriate, the authors may be asked to resolve the dispute through their affiliated institutions or other competent bodies.

The editorial process may be suspended until the dispute is satisfactorily resolved.

  1. Disputes After Publication

If a credible authorship complaint or allegation of misconduct is submitted after publication, the journal will assess the concern in accordance with relevant COPE guidance.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  1. Request written explanations from the authors involved.
  2. Examine available authorship declarations and contribution statements.
  3. Contact relevant institutions for clarification or investigation.
  4. Request additional evidence regarding disputed contributions.
  5. Issue a correction when a justified authorship change is necessary.
  6. Publish an expression of concern when serious unresolved issues affect confidence in the publication.
  7. Consider retraction when serious misconduct or integrity concerns warrant that action under applicable publication ethics standards.

The journal will seek to ensure that all relevant parties are treated fairly and given an appropriate opportunity to respond.

4.3. Guidance and Resources

Authors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with internationally recognized authorship and publication ethics guidance.

TSSS refers authors and editors to the recommendations and resources provided by COPE, ICMJE, and other relevant scholarly publishing organizations.

The journal may provide links to these resources through its official website.

4.4. Institutional Policies

Authors are expected to comply with the research integrity, authorship, and publication ethics requirements of their affiliated institutions and funding organizations.

When institutional policies differ from the journal's requirements, authors should ensure that their submissions satisfy the applicable requirements of both the journal and their institutions.

4.5. Accountability

All authors are collectively responsible for the integrity of the submitted manuscript and must be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for particular aspects of the research.

Each author is expected to have confidence in the integrity of the contributions made by their co-authors.

By submitting a manuscript to TSSS, authors acknowledge their responsibility for the accuracy, originality, transparency, and ethical integrity of the scholarly work.

4.6. Policy Review

This Authorship and Contributorship Policy will be reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research ethics, disciplinary practices, and internationally recognized authorship standards.

TSSS reserves the right to request additional information or clarification regarding authorship and contributions at any stage of the editorial or publication process.

The journal remains committed to promoting fairness, transparency, accountability, and responsible scholarly communication.

References and Resources

  1. COPE — Authorship (Discussion Document)
  2. COPE — Handling Changes to Authorship Lists
  3. COPE — How to Recognise Potential Authorship Problems
  4. COPE — Ghost, Guest, or Gift Authorship in a Submitted Manuscript
  5. COPE — Authorship and Contributorship of Published Data: Dealing with Concerns
  6. COPE — Authorship and Contributorship of Unpublished Data: Dealing with Concerns
  7. COPE — How to Handle Authorship Disputes: A Guide for New Researchers
  8. ICMJE — Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors
  9. CRediT — Contributor Roles Taxonomy