Authorship and Contributorship Policy

General Provisions

The Publishing House of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region adheres to international standards for determining authorship and participation in scientific research. This policy has been developed to ensure transparency, fairness, and recognition of each research participant's contribution. We follow the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Authorship Criteria

An author is considered to be a person who meets all four of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the research; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of research data;
  2. Drafting the work or critically revising it for important intellectual content;
  3. Final approval of the version to be published;
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who meet the first criterion but do not meet all others should be listed in the "Acknowledgments" section as contributors, but not as authors.

Author Order

The order of authors in the manuscript should reflect the relative contribution of each author to the research and preparation of the manuscript. The order of authors should be agreed upon by all authors prior to manuscript submission.

  • The first author is typically the person who made the greatest contribution to the research and preparation of the manuscript.
  • The corresponding author is the person responsible for communication with the journal's editorial office during the submission, review, and publication process, and for ensuring that all administrative requirements of the journal are met.
  • The last author is often the head of the research group or project who provided overall guidance for the research.

Changes in Authorship

Any changes in authorship (addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors) after manuscript submission must be approved by all authors, including those being added or removed. The request for changes must be sent to the editorial office by the corresponding author with:

  1. The reason for the change in the author list;
  2. Written confirmation from all authors (including those being added or removed) that they agree to the changes.

Changes in authorship are not accepted after the manuscript has been accepted for publication.

Contributors

Individuals who have contributed to the research but do not meet all four authorship criteria should be listed in the "Acknowledgments" section as contributors. Examples of contributions that by themselves do not qualify for authorship but deserve recognition include:

  • Technical assistance
  • Writing assistance
  • General support
  • Financial and material support
  • Provision of study materials, reagents, patients
  • Language editing or proofreading

Author Responsibilities

By submitting a manuscript, all authors assume responsibility for:

  1. Research integrity: All data presented in the manuscript are authentic and obtained in compliance with ethical standards.
  2. Originality of work: The manuscript is original and has not been previously published in another journal (except in the form of abstracts, preprints, or as part of a dissertation).
  3. Copyright: Materials protected by copyright are used with appropriate permission.
  4. Conflict of interest: All potential conflicts of interest are disclosed in the manuscript.
  5. Ethical standards: The research was conducted in compliance with relevant ethical standards and necessary approvals were obtained from ethics committees.

Group Authorship

In cases where research was conducted by a large group or consortium, we recommend:

  1. Identifying authors who meet the authorship criteria and have taken direct responsibility for the manuscript;
  2. Indicating the name of the group as a collective author (e.g., "Droughts Study Consortium of Ukraine");
  3. Listing all members of the group in a note..

Authorship Conflicts of Interest

Authorship disputes that arise before or after publication will be addressed by the editorial office according to COPE recommendations. In the event of an authorship conflict, the journal may:

  1. Suspend review of the manuscript until the dispute is resolved;
  2. Request documentary evidence of each listed person's contribution;
  3. Contact the institutions where the authors work for assistance in resolving the conflict.

Policy Against Honorary Authorship and Ghost Authorship

Our journal strictly prohibits the practices of:

  • Honorary authorship: Including a person who does not meet the authorship criteria due to their status, reputation, or influence.
  • Ghost authorship: Not including a person who made a substantial contribution according to the authorship criteria.

Detection of such practices may lead to rejection of the manuscript or retraction of the published article.

Final Provisions

This policy is designed to ensure fair recognition of the contribution of all participants in scientific research. Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all manuscripts submitted to our journals. Any questions regarding authorship should be resolved prior to manuscript submission.

The Publishing House of the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region reserves the right to make changes to the authorship and contribution policy. All changes will be announced on the journal's official website.