Authorship Credit (Contributor Roles Taxonomy)

1. Introduction

Physical Education and Sports: Studies and Research (PESSR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in scholarly publishing, which includes ensuring fair and accurate attribution of authorship and contributorship. This policy outlines the criteria for authorship, the responsibilities of authors, and the process for acknowledging contributions, ensuring that all individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions to a manuscript are appropriately recognized. This policy aligns with the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

2. Description

Authorship confers credit and has important academic, social, and financial implications. It also implies responsibility and accountability for published work. PESSR defines an "author" as an individual who has made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and the manuscript.

Contributorship refers to involvement in the research or manuscript preparation that does not meet all the criteria for authorship but warrants recognition.

Unethical authorship practices undermine the integrity of the scholarly record. PESSR explicitly prohibits:

• Gift Authorship (Guest or Honorary Authorship): Granting authorship to individuals who do not meet the established authorship criteria, often due to their seniority, reputation, or an expectation of reciprocity.
• Ghost Authorship: Failing to list as an author an individual who has made a substantial contribution qualifying them for authorship, or failing to acknowledge individuals (e.g., professional medical writers) who assisted in writing or preparing the manuscript.
• Denial of Authorship: Excluding individuals who have met the criteria for authorship.

Transparency regarding contributions is essential. PESSR encourages practices that clearly delineate the roles and contributions of all individuals involved in the research and manuscript.

3. Policy

• Criteria for Authorship: PESSR requires that all individuals designated as authors meet all of an established set of criteria for authorship. We recommend that authorship be based on the following four criteria (adapted from ICMJE recommendations):

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; OR the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All individuals who meet all four criteria should be identified as authors.

• Non-Author Contributors (Acknowledgements): Individuals who have contributed to the research or manuscript but whose contributions do not justify authorship according to the criteria above should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgements" section of the manuscript. Examples of contributions that should be acknowledged include:

  • Acquisition of funding.
  • General supervision of a research group or general administrative support.
  • Writing assistance, technical editing, language editing, and proofreading.
  • Data collection or participation in a clinical trial (as part of a team, but without substantial contribution to design, analysis, or interpretation).
  • Providing materials or study participants.
  • Other contributions that do not meet all authorship criteria. All individuals named in the Acknowledgements section must have given their explicit permission to be acknowledged. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining this permission.

• Order of Authors: The order in which authors are listed should be a joint decision of all co-authors. PESSR does not dictate the order of authorship. Authors should agree on the order before submitting the manuscript and should be prepared to explain the rationale for the order if queried by the journal. The significance of author order (e.g., first author, last author) may vary between disciplines and research groups and should be determined by the authors themselves.

• Corresponding Author: One author must be designated as the corresponding author. This individual takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the manuscript submission, peer review, and publication process. The corresponding author is also typically responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all listed authors meet PESSR's authorship criteria and have approved the manuscript submission and any subsequent revisions.
  • Managing all communication between the journal and all co-authors, keeping them informed of progress.
  • Ensuring the accuracy of all author details, affiliations, and conflict of interest disclosures.
  • Responding to post-publication queries and critiques.

• Changes to Authorship: Any requests to add, delete, or reorder authors in the author list after the initial manuscript submission must be sent to the Editor-in-Chief by the corresponding author. The request must include:

  • An apparent reason for the change.
  • Written confirmation (e.g., email, letter) from all authors—including any author being added or removed—that they agree with the proposed change. Changes to authorship after a manuscript has been accepted for publication are strongly discouraged and will be considered only in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. If a change is approved post-acceptance, a formal corrigendum may be required.

• Contributorship Statements (Author Contributions): PESSR encourages authors to include an "Author Contributions" statement in their manuscript, detailing each author's specific contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. This statement helps ensure transparency and appropriately recognizes individual efforts. Journals may use the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework for this purpose.

• Prohibition of Unethical Authorship Practices: PESSR explicitly prohibits gift, guest, honorary, and ghost authorship. All listed authors must meet the defined authorship criteria. Any individual or organization providing writing or editorial assistance (e.g., professional writers, AI tools) who does not meet authorship criteria must be appropriately acknowledged, including disclosure of any funding for such aid.

• Group Authorship / Multi-center Studies: When a consortium or research group submits a manuscript, the group name may be included in the author list. However, PESSR requires that a clear list of individual group members who meet the authorship criteria be provided. These individuals should be listed in the manuscript (e.g., as authors or in an appendix) and should jointly meet the requirements for authorship and accountability. The corresponding author should clearly state the group name and identify the group members who take responsibility for the work as a whole.

4. Technicalities to Achieve and Materialise the Policies

• Authorship Declaration Form: Upon submission, the corresponding author will be required to confirm that all listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria, that they have all reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript, and that they consent to its submission to PESSR. This may be part of the submission process or a separate form. The journal may also require a statement detailing each author's contribution.

• Managing Authorship Disputes:

  • Prevention: PESSR strongly advises that authorship, contributorship roles, and the author order be discussed and agreed upon by all members of a research team at the very beginning of a research project and revisited as the project evolves, especially if new individuals join or roles change. Keeping a written record of these agreements is recommended.
  • Disputes Arising Before Publication: If an authorship dispute arises among authors before publication, PESSR will generally not arbitrate. The journal will request the authors to resolve the conflict among themselves or through their respective institutions. The processing of the manuscript may be suspended until the dispute is resolved.
  • Disputes Arising After Publication: If an unresolved authorship dispute or a credible allegation of authorship misconduct (e.g., a missing author or a guest author) is brought to the journal's attention after publication, PESSR will investigate the matter in accordance with COPE guidelines. This may involve contacting all involved authors to obtain their statements, requesting that the authors' institutions investigate, and, if necessary, publishing a correction, an expression of concern, or, in rare cases of proven misconduct, a retraction of the article.

• Guidance and Resources: Authors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with international standards on authorship, such as those provided by COPE and ICMJE. PESSR will provide links to these resources on its website.

• Institutional Policies: Authors are expected to adhere to the authorship policies of their respective institutions and funding bodies.

• Accountability: All authors are accountable for the integrity of the work presented in the manuscript. By submitting the manuscript, the authors collectively acknowledge their confidence in the accuracy and integrity of their co-authors' contributions.

This policy is designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in authorship and contributorship. PESSR reserves the right to request further information or clarification from authors regarding authorship and contributions at any stage of the submission or publication process.