Autorship Criteria

The International Journal of Education and Teaching Zone (IJETZ) is committed to upholding the principles of transparency, integrity, fairness, and accountability in scholarly publishing. Authorship recognizes substantial intellectual contributions to research and entails responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and ethical conduct of the published work. IJETZ follows relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and adopts the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), adapted to the context of education and teaching research.

1. Criteria for Authorship

An individual may be credited as an author of a manuscript submitted to IJETZ only if they meet all four of the following criteria:

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

  2. Manuscript preparation or critical revision: Draft the manuscript or critically revise it for important intellectual content.

  3. Final approval: Approve the final version of the manuscript to be published.

  4. Accountability for the work: Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of any part of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved. Each author must understand their own contribution, be able to identify the contributions of their co-authors, and have confidence in the integrity of those contributions.

All individuals designated as authors must satisfy all four criteria. Individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research but do not initially meet all four criteria should be given the opportunity to participate in manuscript preparation or critical revision and final approval, where appropriate, to determine whether they qualify for authorship.

Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contributions and must not be granted solely on the basis of seniority, academic or institutional position, funding, supervisory responsibilities, professional status, or personal relationships.

2. Contributors Who Do Not Qualify for Authorship

Individuals who contribute to a manuscript but do not meet all four authorship criteria must not be listed as authors. Their contributions may instead be recognized in the Acknowledgments section, with their permission where appropriate.

Examples of contributions that do not, by themselves, justify authorship include:

  • Providing funding, institutional support, or access to research facilities.

  • Providing general supervision or administrative management of a research project.

  • Providing routine data collection assistance, technical support, or administrative assistance.

  • Providing language editing, proofreading, translation, or formatting services.

  • Offering general advice or feedback without substantial intellectual involvement in the research.

Funding, institutional position, or general supervision alone does not confer authorship. Authors are responsible for ensuring that contributions are accurately represented and that individuals who qualify for authorship are not improperly excluded.

3. Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between the authors and the IJETZ Editorial Office throughout submission, peer review, revision, and publication. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

  • All listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria and have approved the submitted manuscript.

  • All individuals who qualify for authorship are appropriately included, and no eligible contributor is omitted.

  • The order of authorship has been agreed upon by all authors before submission.

  • Author contributions and acknowledgments are accurately reported.

  • All required declarations, including originality, conflicts of interest, funding, research ethics approval and informed consent where applicable, and the use of generative artificial intelligence, are complete and accurate.

  • All co-authors are informed of significant editorial communications, decisions, and substantive revisions.

  • All authors approve the final version accepted for publication.

  • Questions concerning authorship or research integrity are addressed transparently and promptly.

Submission of a manuscript confirms that the corresponding author has obtained the agreement of all co-authors to submit the work to IJETZ. The corresponding author must communicate relevant editorial decisions and ensure that all authors have the opportunity to review and approve the final version intended for publication.

4. Order of Authorship and Author Contributions

Authors must determine the order of authorship collectively before submitting the manuscript. The order should reflect the relative scholarly contributions of each author and must be agreed upon by all authors.

IJETZ does not prescribe a universal authorship order because conventions may vary across research designs and educational disciplines. Authors are expected to determine the order transparently and resolve any disagreements before submission.

IJETZ encourages authors to provide an individual contribution statement using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), where appropriate. Relevant roles may include conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing, supervision, and project administration.

Contribution statements must accurately represent each author's role. The use of CRediT does not replace the requirement that every listed author meet all four authorship criteria.

5. Changes to Authorship

Any request to add or remove an author or change the order of authors after manuscript submission must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief. The request must include a clear explanation of the reasons for the proposed change and written agreement from all authors, including any individual being added or removed.

The Editor-in-Chief may request additional explanations or supporting documentation before making a decision. Changes to authorship after acceptance are generally not permitted, except in exceptional circumstances justified by the authors and approved by the Editor-in-Chief following an appropriate assessment.

IJETZ may suspend editorial processing while an authorship dispute is being addressed. If the authors cannot resolve the dispute, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institutions or research organizations for investigation. The journal will consider the available evidence and relevant institutional findings when determining appropriate editorial action. Any approved change must be documented and consistent with publication ethics principles.

6. Unethical Authorship Practices

IJETZ prohibits unethical authorship practices, including but not limited to:

  • Ghost authorship: Excluding an individual who has made a qualifying contribution and meets the authorship criteria.

  • Gift or honorary authorship: Including an individual who does not meet the authorship criteria, including on the basis of seniority, institutional position, funding, or personal relationships.

  • Guest authorship: Including an individual without a qualifying contribution to enhance the perceived credibility or likelihood of acceptance of a manuscript.

  • Misrepresentation of contributions: Providing false, incomplete, or misleading information about the roles and contributions of authors.

  • Unauthorized authorship changes: Adding, removing, or reordering authors without the required agreement of the relevant authors.

When suspected authorship misconduct is identified, IJETZ will assess the concerns fairly and confidentially, request explanations or supporting documentation where necessary, and follow relevant COPE guidance and applicable publication ethics procedures.

Depending on the evidence, the seriousness of the concern, and the stage of publication, possible actions may include requesting clarification or correction of authorship information, suspending editorial processing, rejecting a manuscript, correcting or retracting a published article, and contacting the relevant institution or research organization where warranted. Actions will be proportionate to the circumstances and based on the available evidence.

7. Generative Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including large language models and AI-assisted writing systems, cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of manuscripts submitted to IJETZ. Such tools cannot assume responsibility for the research, approve the final manuscript, or fulfill the journal's authorship and accountability requirements.

Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts, including any content generated or assisted by AI tools. Any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation must be disclosed in accordance with the IJETZ policy on the use of generative AI.

Authors must verify the accuracy of AI-assisted content, ensure that citations and references are authentic, and protect confidential information and research participants' data. AI tools must not be used in ways that compromise research integrity, participant privacy, or the confidentiality of manuscripts under review. The use of AI tools does not, by itself, qualify an individual for authorship or relieve human authors of their responsibilities.

8. Author Identification and Institutional Affiliation

All authors must provide their full names, institutional affiliations, and valid email addresses at the time of submission. Names and affiliations must be accurate and must not misrepresent an author's institutional relationship or contribution to the research. Affiliations should reflect the institutions with which authors were associated when the research was conducted. Any relevant subsequent changes in affiliation should be clearly indicated.

Authors are encouraged to provide an ORCID iD to support reliable identification and accurate attribution of scholarly contributions. All authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of their identifying information and confirming that the information submitted to IJETZ has been agreed upon by all co-authors.

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to IJETZ, regardless of research method, educational discipline, institutional affiliation, or number of authors. Compliance with this policy is expected throughout submission, peer review, revision, and publication.