Authorship & Contributorship Policy

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences is committed to ensuring that authorship accurately reflects substantial scholarly contributions to published work.

The journal recognizes that appropriate authorship attribution is an essential component of research and publication integrity. All individuals listed as authors should have made meaningful contributions to the work and should accept responsibility for their contributions.

The journal follows recognized principles of responsible authorship and contributorship and may refer to relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other recognized scholarly organizations.

1. General Principles of Authorship

Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the research and manuscript.

An individual should normally be listed as an author only when they have made a substantial contribution to one or more major aspects of the work and have participated sufficiently in the preparation or critical evaluation of the manuscript to take responsibility for their contribution.

Authorship should not be granted solely because of:

  • Seniority.
  • Position or academic rank.
  • Institutional affiliation.
  • Supervision without substantial scholarly contribution.
  • Administrative responsibility.
  • Funding acquisition alone.
  • Provision of facilities or equipment alone.
  • General assistance that does not meet authorship criteria.

2. Recommended Authorship Criteria

The journal recommends that authorship decisions consider the following types of contribution:

  1. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the study; or acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
  2. Substantial contribution to drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
  3. Approval of the final version to be published.
  4. Agreement to be accountable for the work and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who do not meet the journal's authorship criteria should generally be recognized in the Acknowledgments section where appropriate.

3. Responsibility of All Authors

All listed authors should:

  • Approve the final version of the manuscript.
  • Agree to its submission and publication.
  • Ensure that their listed contributions are accurately described.
  • Take responsibility for their own contributions.
  • Cooperate in resolving questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of the work.
  • Disclose relevant conflicts of interest.
  • Confirm that the work has been submitted only to the journal concerned and is not under consideration elsewhere, unless an appropriate exception has been disclosed.

Authors should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific parts of the work where appropriate.

4. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between the authors and the journal during submission, peer review, revision, and publication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Coordinating communication with the journal.
  • Ensuring that all authors are aware of the submission.
  • Confirming the accuracy of author information.
  • Ensuring that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript.
  • Coordinating responses to editorial and reviewer comments.
  • Communicating relevant changes in authorship.
  • Ensuring that required declarations are provided.
  • Communicating with co-authors regarding publication decisions and proofs.

The corresponding author should not make substantive authorship decisions on behalf of other authors without appropriate agreement.

5. Author Order

The order of authors should be agreed upon by all authors before submission.

The journal generally does not determine the order of authors.

Authors should resolve disagreements concerning author order among themselves.

If an authorship dispute cannot be resolved by the authors, the journal may request clarification or refer the matter to the relevant institution or appropriate authority.

The journal will not normally determine which author should occupy a particular position in the author list.

6. Contributions of Authors

The journal encourages authors to provide a clear description of individual contributions.

Where appropriate, contributions may include:

  • Conceptualization.
  • Methodology.
  • Investigation.
  • Data collection.
  • Laboratory work.
  • Data curation.
  • Formal analysis.
  • Statistical analysis.
  • Software.
  • Visualization.
  • Writing – original draft.
  • Writing – review and editing.
  • Supervision.
  • Project administration.
  • Funding acquisition.

Authors should ensure that contribution statements accurately reflect the actual work performed.

7. Contribution Statement

Where applicable, manuscripts should include an Author Contributions statement.

For example:

Author Contributions: Author A: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, and writing – original draft. Author B: Data analysis, visualization, and writing – review and editing. Author C: Supervision, project administration, and critical revision of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

The contribution statement should not attribute work to an individual who did not perform it.

8. Guest, Gift, and Honorary Authorship

The journal does not support:

  • Guest authorship — listing an individual who has not made an appropriate contribution.
  • Gift authorship — granting authorship as a favor or because of status or seniority.
  • Honorary authorship — listing an individual primarily because of their position, reputation, or authority.

Authorship should reflect genuine scholarly contribution.

9. Ghost Authorship

Ghost authorship refers to substantial contributors who are omitted from the author list without appropriate acknowledgment.

Authors must not deliberately exclude individuals who meet legitimate authorship criteria.

Where an individual contributed substantially but does not qualify for authorship, their contribution should be appropriately acknowledged when permissible and with their agreement.

10. Professional Writers and Editorial Assistance

Individuals who provide professional writing, language editing, statistical, technical, or other assistance should not automatically be listed as authors.

Authorship depends on the nature and extent of the contribution.

Where an individual does not meet authorship criteria, their contribution may be acknowledged where appropriate.

Any substantial professional writing or editorial assistance should be transparently disclosed where relevant.

11. Statistical and Technical Contributions

Individuals who make substantial contributions to statistical analysis, methodology, computational analysis, or other specialized technical aspects may qualify for authorship when their contributions meet the journal's authorship criteria.

Technical assistance alone does not automatically constitute authorship.

12. Supervisors and Senior Researchers

Academic supervisors, department heads, laboratory managers, principal investigators, or senior researchers should not be included automatically as authors solely because of their position or supervisory role.

They may qualify for authorship when they have made substantial scholarly contributions that satisfy the journal's authorship criteria.

13. Funding and Resource Contributions

Obtaining funding, providing laboratory facilities, supplying materials, or providing administrative support does not by itself constitute sufficient grounds for authorship.

Such contributions may be acknowledged appropriately.

However, a person who also makes substantial intellectual contributions may qualify for authorship if the relevant authorship criteria are satisfied.

14. Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be recognized in the Acknowledgments section with their permission.

Acknowledgments may include:

  • Technical assistance.
  • Administrative support.
  • Language assistance.
  • General laboratory support.
  • Access to facilities.
  • Non-substantial research assistance.
  • Other contributions that do not qualify for authorship.

Authors should obtain appropriate permission before naming individuals in acknowledgments where required.

15. Changes to Authorship Before Publication

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after initial submission must be submitted to the journal by the corresponding author.

The request should include:

  • The reason for the proposed change.
  • The names of all affected authors.
  • Confirmation that all authors agree to the proposed change.
  • Any relevant explanation concerning the contribution of the affected individual(s).

The journal may request written confirmation from all authors before approving the change.

16. Changes to Authorship After Acceptance

Changes to authorship after acceptance will be considered only when there is a legitimate reason and appropriate documentation.

The journal may pause publication while the request is assessed.

The journal reserves the right to request confirmation from all authors and, where appropriate, their institution.

17. Changes to Authorship After Publication

Changes to authorship after publication require careful consideration because they affect the permanent scholarly record.

Where a legitimate authorship error is identified, the journal may publish an appropriate correction or other editorial notice.

If the authors cannot agree on a proposed change, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or competent authority.

The journal will not normally adjudicate institutional authorship disputes.

18. Authorship Disputes

The journal encourages authors to resolve authorship disagreements among themselves before submission.

If a dispute arises during editorial processing, the journal may:

  • Request clarification.
  • Request documentation of contributions.
  • Seek written agreement from all authors.
  • Temporarily suspend editorial processing.
  • Refer the matter to the relevant institution or research integrity authority.

The journal will generally not determine authorship entitlement in disputes that require institutional investigation.

19. Unauthorized Authorship Changes

No author should be added, removed, or reordered without the appropriate agreement of the affected authors.

Unauthorized changes may constitute a publication ethics concern.

Where intentional misrepresentation is suspected, the matter may be considered under the journal's Research Misconduct Policy.

20. Deceased or Incapacitated Authors

If an author dies or becomes incapacitated during the publication process, the remaining authors should contact the editorial office.

The journal may request appropriate confirmation concerning authorship, consent, and the author's contribution.

Where legally and ethically appropriate, the author's contribution may remain part of the published record.

21. Authorship and Research Integrity

All authors share responsibility for ensuring that the author list accurately represents the contributions to the work.

Intentional misrepresentation of authorship may constitute publication misconduct.

Concerns regarding authorship may be investigated under the journal's Research Misconduct Policy.

22. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI systems, cannot be listed as authors of manuscripts submitted to the Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences.

AI systems cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, ethical conduct, or accountability of published research.

Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to the journal.

Where AI tools have been used in manuscript preparation, authors should follow the journal's AI Policy regarding disclosure and appropriate use.

23. AI-Assisted Writing and Research

The use of AI-assisted tools does not transfer authorship responsibility from human authors to the technology.

Authors remain responsible for:

  • Verifying factual accuracy.
  • Checking references.
  • Ensuring originality.
  • Preventing plagiarism.
  • Protecting confidential information.
  • Ensuring appropriate disclosure.
  • Ensuring that AI-generated material does not introduce fabricated information or unsupported claims.

Substantive use of AI in research or manuscript preparation should be disclosed according to the journal's applicable policies.

24. ORCID and Author Identification

The journal encourages authors to provide ORCID iDs to improve accurate identification and attribution of scholarly contributions.

ORCID registration is encouraged but should not be represented as evidence of authorship by itself.

Authors remain responsible for ensuring that their names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, and contribution information are accurate.

25. Author Affiliations

Authors should provide their institutional affiliations accurately as they relate to the work.

Affiliations should reflect the institution(s) with which the author was associated during the research or manuscript preparation, as appropriate.

Authors should not list institutions solely to increase the perceived prestige or credibility of the manuscript.

26. Multiple Affiliations

Where an author has multiple legitimate institutional affiliations relevant to the work, these may be reported accurately.

Authors should follow the journal's submission requirements for presenting multiple affiliations.

27. Responsibility for the Published Article

All authors should accept responsibility for their contributions and cooperate appropriately when questions concerning the integrity of the work arise.

Where an issue concerns the entire study or cannot reasonably be attributed to a specific contribution, authors should cooperate in investigating and resolving the matter.

28. Relationship With Other Journal Policies

This policy should be read together with:

  • Publication Ethics
  • Research Misconduct Policy
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Ethical Oversight Policy
  • Data Sharing & Availability Policy
  • Peer Review Policy
  • AI Policy
  • Complaints & Appeals Policy
  • Retraction & Correction Policy

29. Policy Review

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences periodically reviews this policy to ensure that it remains consistent with developments in authorship standards, research integrity, publication ethics, and recognized international scholarly publishing practices.

The policy may be updated when necessary.