Authorship Policy
Authorship Policy
Who qualifies as an author, in what order, and what can no longer be changed once a paper is accepted. Authorship disputes are the most common and most damaging problem we handle — settling this before submission avoids all of it.
Last reviewed August 2026 · Applies to all submissions to JMVRA (ISSN 2984-8911)
Authorship carries both credit and responsibility. Every named author must be able to defend the work publicly and must have agreed to be listed. JMVRA follows the four ICMJE criteria: an author is someone who meets all four, not just the first.
The Four Criteria — All Four Are Required
- Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data.
- Drafting or critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content.
- Final approval of the version being submitted for publication.
- Accountability for the work — agreeing to be answerable for its accuracy and integrity, including parts contributed by others.
Qualifies as Authorship
- Designing the study or the analytical approach
- Collecting or analysing data central to the findings
- Writing or substantially revising the manuscript
- Interpreting results and shaping the conclusions
Acknowledgement, Not Authorship
- Providing funding, equipment or laboratory space
- General supervision of the research group
- Language editing or proofreading only
- Routine data entry or technical assistance
- Being the head of department where the work was done
Practices We Do Not Accept
| Practice | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Gift authorship | Adding a senior colleague, supervisor or friend who did not contribute, out of courtesy or in the hope of easier acceptance. |
| Ghost authorship | Omitting someone who did meet the criteria — commonly a junior researcher or a professional writer. |
| Guest authorship | Adding a well-known name to increase the paper’s apparent standing. |
| Authorship for sale | Buying or selling a position in the author list. This is research misconduct and is reported to the institutions involved. |
| AI as author | Generative tools cannot be authors — they cannot take responsibility. See the AI Policy. |
Author Order and the Corresponding Author
- Order is the authors’ decision, not the journal’s. Agree it before submission and record that agreement in writing among yourselves. JMVRA publishes the order given on the submitted manuscript.
- The corresponding author handles all communication with the journal, submits the required documents, signs the undertaking form and is the contact point after publication. This role carries the administrative responsibility for the submission.
- Every co-author must know they are listed. Submitting a paper is a declaration that all named authors have seen the final version and agreed to it. Adding someone without their knowledge is misconduct even when the contribution was real.
- Contact details must be current. Each author’s affiliation and email are published with the paper. An ORCID iD is recommended for every author and required for the corresponding author.
Changing the Author List
If There Is a Dispute
JMVRA is a publisher, not an arbitrator. Authorship disputes are resolved by the authors and, where necessary, by their institutions — we cannot determine who contributed what. While a dispute is unresolved, the manuscript is held and neither published nor rejected. If a dispute arises after publication, the paper may carry an Expression of Concern until the institutions involved reach a finding. Raise a concern through the Complaints & Appeals Policy.
Where the Authorship Policy Applies
The stages of a paper’s journey this policy governs are highlighted.
Applies at: Prepare · Submit · Accept
Authorship Policy in Brief
Authorship is a statement of credit and responsibility. JMVRA follows the four ICMJE criteria: substantial contribution to the work, drafting or revising it critically, approving the final version, and agreeing to be accountable for it. Everyone listed must meet all four; contributors who do not are acknowledged instead.
Gift, guest and ghost authorship are not accepted. Author order and the corresponding author should be agreed before submission, because the author list is fixed once a paper is accepted. The publication fee covers up to five authors; disputes between authors are resolved by the authors and their institutions, not by the journal taking sides.
