Authorship Criteria and Policy

The International Journal of Management and Business Economics (IJMEBE) upholds the highest standards of publication ethics and adheres to the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authorship confers credit and has significant academic, social, and financial implications. It also implies responsibility and accountability for published work.

To ensure transparent and responsible scholarly communication, authorship credit must be based exclusively on substantial contributions to the manuscript. Every individual listed as an author must meet all four of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Contributions: Substantial contributions to the conception, design of the study, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.

  2. Drafting and Revising: Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for intellectual and scientific content.

  3. Final Approval: Approval of the final version of the manuscript to be published.

  4. Accountability: Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the manuscript in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Non-Author Contributions (Acknowledgments)

Contributors who do not meet all four criteria above do not qualify for authorship. Examples include individuals who provided:

  • Acquisition of funding or project administration;

  • Technical support, language editing, and proofreading;

  • General supervision of a research group or laboratory facilities.

Such contributions must be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript, specifying the nature of their contribution, provided they have given written permission to be named.

Unacceptable Authorship Practices

The IJMEBE strictly opposes unethical authorship practices:

  • Gift / Honorary Authorship: Listing individuals who made no significant scientific contribution to the research.

  • Guest Authorship: Adding prominent or senior figures to increase the perceived credibility of the manuscript.

  • Ghost Authorship: Omitting individuals who made substantial intellectual contributions to the paper.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author acts as the primary contact between the journal and all co-authors during submission, peer review, and publication. The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Ensuring all eligible contributors are included in the author list and that no ineligible individuals are listed.

  • Securing approval of the final manuscript version from all co-authors before submission.

  • Handling all communication with the editorial office, including addressing queries regarding data integrity, ethics, and copyright.