Authorship and Contributorship

The Journal of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology follows the authorship and contributorship principles recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The journal considers accurate attribution of authorship essential to research integrity, transparency, accountability, and responsible scholarly publishing.

1. Authorship Criteria

Individuals should be listed as authors only when they have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work and meet the applicable authorship criteria.

Consistent with ICMJE recommendations, authors should satisfy all four of the following criteria:

Make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
Participate in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
Approve the final version to be published.
Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to appropriately investigate and resolve questions concerning its accuracy or integrity.

All four criteria should be satisfied for authorship.

2. Contributorship

Individuals who contribute substantially to the research but do not meet all authorship criteria should not automatically be listed as authors.

Their contributions may instead be recognized in the Acknowledgements section where appropriate.

Contributions may include:

Study conception and design.
Methodology development.
Data collection.
Statistical analysis.
Data curation.
Laboratory work.
Technical assistance.
Software development.
Project administration.
Supervision.
Resources.
Writing assistance.
Language or editorial assistance.

Contributorship statements should accurately describe each author's role in the research and preparation of the manuscript.

3. Author Accountability

Authorship carries both credit and responsibility.

Each author should understand the relevant portions of the research and manuscript and should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for particular aspects of the work.

Authors should cooperate with the Editorial Office if concerns arise regarding:

Data accuracy.
Research integrity.
Ethical approval.
Authorship.
Conflicts of interest.
Methodology.
Publication history.

Being listed as an author indicates acceptance of responsibility for the integrity of the work within the scope of the author's contribution.

4. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between the authors and the Editorial Office.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

Communicating with the journal.
Providing accurate author information.
Confirming that all authors have approved the manuscript.
Coordinating responses to editorial and reviewer comments.
Providing required ethical and publication documents.
Ensuring that conflicts of interest are disclosed.
Coordinating approval of the final version.
Communicating relevant post-publication issues to co-authors.

The corresponding author should ensure that all authors are kept appropriately informed throughout the submission and publication process.

5. Author Order

The order of authors should be determined by the authors before submission and should reflect their agreed contributions.

The journal does not ordinarily determine the order of authors.

All authors should approve the final author order before submission.

6. Changes to Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after manuscript submission must be supported by a legitimate explanation.

Such changes generally require:

Written justification.
Agreement from all existing authors.
Agreement from any author being added or removed.
Confirmation from the corresponding author.

The Editorial Office may request additional documentation where necessary.

Substantial authorship disputes may be referred to the relevant institution or research organization for resolution.

7. Gift, Guest, and Ghost Authorship

The journal does not permit inappropriate authorship practices.

Gift or Honorary Authorship

Listing an individual as an author solely because of seniority, position, reputation, funding, supervision, or personal relationship is not acceptable unless the individual meets the authorship criteria.

Guest Authorship

Individuals who did not make the required contribution must not be listed as authors.

Ghost Authorship

Individuals who made substantial contributions but are omitted from the author list should be appropriately recognized or included as authors when they meet the applicable criteria.

8. Professional and Editorial Assistance

Professional assistance, including language editing, technical support, administrative assistance, or writing support, does not automatically qualify an individual for authorship.

Where such assistance does not meet authorship criteria, it should be appropriately acknowledged and, where relevant, disclosed transparently.

Individuals providing substantial intellectual contributions should be evaluated according to the same authorship criteria as other contributors.

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools and generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

AI tools do not meet the requirements for authorship because they cannot take responsibility for the work, approve the final manuscript, disclose conflicts of interest, or respond to questions concerning research integrity.

Authors remain responsible for any content generated or assisted by AI.

Where AI-assisted technologies have been used in manuscript preparation or other substantive aspects of the work, their use should be disclosed appropriately in accordance with the journal's AI policy.

10. Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship may be recognized in the Acknowledgements section.

Acknowledgements may include contributions such as:

Administrative support.
Technical assistance.
Language editing.
General supervision.
Data collection assistance.
Institutional support.
Professional services that do not meet authorship criteria.

Authors should obtain permission from individuals before naming them in the Acknowledgements where appropriate.

11. Funding and Institutional Contributions

Financial support, institutional resources, or access to facilities does not by itself constitute authorship.

Funding organizations and institutional support should be disclosed separately in the appropriate Funding Statement or Acknowledgements section.

Authors must disclose any financial relationships that could constitute a conflict of interest.

12. Authorship Disputes

The journal does not ordinarily adjudicate disputes concerning authorship contributions.

If authors disagree regarding authorship, the Editorial Office may:

Request a written explanation from the authors.
Request confirmation from all affected authors.
Suspend editorial processing where necessary.
Recommend that the dispute be addressed through the relevant institution or research organization.
Follow applicable COPE guidance concerning authorship disputes.

The journal may decline to proceed with publication until a legitimate authorship dispute has been appropriately resolved.

13. Misrepresentation of Authorship

Providing false authorship information, concealing contributors, adding individuals without their knowledge or consent, or deliberately omitting qualifying contributors may constitute a publication-ethics violation.

Where credible concerns arise, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate action, including rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction where warranted.

14. Author Contribution Statement

Where required, authors should provide a clear statement describing individual contributions.

A contribution statement may identify roles such as:

Conceptualization
Methodology
Investigation
Data Curation
Formal Analysis
Writing – Original Draft
Writing – Review & Editing
Supervision
Project Administration
Funding Acquisition
Resources
Software

The contribution statement should be truthful and agreed upon by all authors.

15. Editorial and Ethical Oversight

Editors may request clarification regarding authorship or contributorship whenever concerns arise.

The journal may require documentary evidence, contribution statements, institutional confirmation, or other information necessary to establish appropriate authorship.

Editors and reviewers must not receive preferential treatment based on an author's position, institutional affiliation, reputation, or relationship with the journal.

16. Compliance with COPE and ICMJE

The journal follows relevant COPE guidance for handling authorship disputes, inappropriate authorship practices, changes to authorship, and contributor recognition.

The journal also follows the ICMJE Recommendations concerning authorship, contributorship, corresponding-author responsibilities, accountability, and disclosure.

The fundamental principle is that authorship must represent genuine intellectual contribution and carry appropriate responsibility for the published work.

17. Final Author Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology, the authors confirm that:

All listed authors meet the applicable authorship criteria.
All authors have approved the submitted manuscript.
All authors agree with the author order.
No qualifying contributor has been intentionally omitted.
No individual has been included solely as honorary, guest, or gift author.
All relevant contributions have been accurately disclosed.
The corresponding author is authorized to communicate with the journal.
Any authorship or contributorship concerns have been disclosed to the Editorial Office.

The journal reserves the right to reject, suspend, correct, or investigate a manuscript where authorship or contributorship information is found to be inaccurate, misleading, or inconsistent with recognized publication-ethics standards.