Authorship Criteria

Authorship and Contributions

The International Journal Linguistics of Sumatra and Malay (IJLSM) is committed to maintaining transparency, accountability, and integrity in scholarly authorship. Authorship should reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript, rather than professional status, institutional affiliation, seniority, or other non-contributory considerations.

To qualify for authorship, each author must meet the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Contribution

    The author must have made a significant intellectual contribution to at least one of the following: the conception or design of the study; the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the development of theoretical arguments, analytical frameworks, or research methods relevant to the manuscript.

  2. Manuscript Preparation or Critical Revision

    The author must have participated in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

  3. Final Approval

    The author must have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication, including any revised version requiring author approval.

  4. Accountability

    The author must agree to be accountable for their own contributions and to cooperate in addressing questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, or reliability of any part of the work. Authors should also be able to identify the contributions of their co-authors and ensure that questions concerning the integrity of the research are appropriately addressed.

All four criteria must be satisfied for an individual to qualify as an author. Individuals who contribute to the research but do not meet all authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately, with their consent, in the Acknowledgements section.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the editorial office and all co-authors throughout the submission, peer review, revision, and publication processes. The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria.

  • Confirming that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript and agreed to its submission to IJLSM.

  • Providing accurate and complete information about all authors, including their names, affiliations, email addresses, and other required metadata.

  • Coordinating communication among co-authors and conveying relevant editorial decisions, reviewer comments, and revision requests.

  • Ensuring that all co-authors are informed of significant changes to the manuscript and approve the final version before publication.

  • Disclosing relevant conflicts of interest, funding sources, and other information required by the journal.

  • Ensuring that the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal and has not been published previously, except where prior dissemination is explicitly permitted by the journal's policies.

The designation of a corresponding author does not exempt other authors from their individual responsibilities for the integrity and accuracy of the work.

Author Order and Contribution Statements

The order of authors should be determined collectively by the authors before submission and should reflect their respective contributions in accordance with disciplinary conventions and the agreement among the research team.

IJLSM does not prescribe a universal author-ordering system, as conventions may differ across research traditions. However, the authors are responsible for ensuring that the agreed order is fair, transparent, and accurately represents their contributions.

Where applicable, authors may be required to provide a contribution statement describing each author's role in the research and manuscript preparation. Such statements should accurately reflect the work performed by each contributor. The use of a contributor taxonomy, such as the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), may be encouraged to improve transparency.

Changes in Authorship

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be justified and approved by all affected authors, including any individual being added or removed. The corresponding author must submit a written request to the editorial office explaining the reason for the proposed change and providing confirmation of the agreement of all authors involved.

Changes to authorship after acceptance or publication will be considered only in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and applicable publication ethics standards. The editorial office reserves the right to suspend processing of the manuscript while a disputed authorship matter is being investigated.

Authorship changes must not be used to conceal misconduct, misrepresent contributions, or resolve disputes through unilateral decisions.

Unethical Authorship Practices

IJLSM does not accept the following unethical authorship practices:

  • Gift or Honorary Authorship

    Listing an individual as an author who has not made the required intellectual and scholarly contributions.

  • Guest Authorship

    Including an individual as an author primarily to enhance the perceived credibility, prestige, or likelihood of acceptance of a manuscript without their qualifying contribution.

  • Ghost Authorship

    Excluding an individual who has made qualifying contributions to the research or manuscript, or concealing substantial writing or research assistance where disclosure is required.

  • Misrepresentation of Contributions

    Providing inaccurate information about an author's role in the research or manuscript preparation.

  • Unauthorized Authorship Changes

    Adding, removing, or rearranging authors without the required consent and justification.

Allegations of authorship misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures. Where necessary, IJLSM may request supporting documentation, contact the relevant institutions, or take appropriate editorial action.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Manuscript Preparation

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools does not qualify an individual or system for authorship. AI tools cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, or ethical conduct of scholarly research.

Authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscripts, including material generated or revised with AI assistance. Any use of AI tools that falls within the journal's disclosure requirements must be transparently reported in the manuscript, including the tool used and the nature of its contribution.

AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors. Their use must not replace the authors' responsibility to verify factual claims, references, data, interpretations, and other scholarly content.

Ethical Responsibility

By submitting a manuscript to IJLSM, all authors confirm that the authorship information is accurate, that all listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria, and that all authors have approved the submitted version. Authors also agree to cooperate with the editorial office in resolving questions concerning authorship, research integrity, and publication ethics.

IJLSM reserves the right to take appropriate action when authorship information is found to be inaccurate or when credible concerns about authorship misconduct arise. Such action may include requesting clarification, suspending editorial processing, rejecting the manuscript, issuing a correction, or taking other measures consistent with the journal's policies and applicable publication ethics standards.