This Authorship and Contributorship Policy applies to all journals published by the International Academic Research Consortium (IARCON). All IARCON journals adhere to this policy to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity in scholarly publishing across the entire journal portfolio. This policy is developed in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript. In accordance with the ICMJE recommendations, authors should meet all of the following criteria:

• Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data. 
• Participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content. 
• Approved the final version of the manuscript before submission and publication. 
• Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions related to its accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved. 

Individuals who do not meet all authorship criteria should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged appropriately.

Contributorship

The journal encourages transparency by requiring authors to clearly describe each author's individual contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. Contributions may include study design, data collection, statistical analysis, manuscript drafting, supervision, funding acquisition, project administration, or other significant scholarly activities.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author is responsible for:

• Ensuring that all eligible contributors are included as authors. 
• Confirming that no inappropriate individuals are listed as authors. 
• Obtaining approval of the final manuscript from all co-authors. 
• Managing all communication with the journal during submission, peer review, and publication. 
• Ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all submitted information. 

Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately, with their permission. This may include technical assistance, administrative support, language editing, or general supervision.

Changes to Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after manuscript submission must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office. Such requests must include:

• A clear explanation for the proposed change. 
• Written consent from all listed authors, including any author being added or removed. 

The journal will evaluate authorship changes in accordance with COPE guidance and may request additional documentation where necessary.

Authorship Misconduct

The journal does not tolerate unethical authorship practices, including but not limited to:

• Gift (honorary) authorship. 
• Guest authorship. 
• Ghost authorship. 
• Misrepresentation of author contributions. 
• Unauthorized addition or removal of authors. 

Suspected authorship misconduct will be investigated following COPE recommendations and may result in manuscript rejection, publication correction, retraction, or notification of the authors' institutions where appropriate.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation. Complete disclosure promotes transparency and maintains confidence in the published work.

Editorial Responsibility

Editors may request evidence of individual author contributions or additional documentation if questions regarding authorship arise during peer review or after publication. Editorial decisions concerning authorship disputes will be made fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE and ICMJE recommendations.

Commitment to Responsible Authorship

IARCON and all its journals are committed to promoting responsible authorship, transparency, accountability, and ethical collaboration in scholarly publishing. Authors, editors, and reviewers are expected to comply with this policy and uphold the highest standards of research integrity throughout the publication process.