Authorship and Contributorship

1. Policy Statement

Buletin Ilmiah Nagari Membangun is committed to ensuring that authorship and contributorship are assigned fairly, transparently, and responsibly.

Authorship should accurately reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the scholarly work presented in a manuscript. Every individual listed as an author must be able to take responsibility for their own contribution and participate in maintaining the integrity of the published article.

This policy is informed by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and internationally recognized standards of responsible authorship and contributorship.

The journal does not permit honorary, guest, gift, or ghost authorship.

2. Criteria for Authorship

An individual should be listed as an author only when all the following conditions are fulfilled:

  1. Substantial contribution: The individual has made a meaningful intellectual contribution to the conception or design of the work, the collection or interpretation of relevant data, the development or evaluation of community engagement activities, or the analysis of the outcomes reported.

  2. Manuscript preparation: The individual has participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising its important intellectual content.

  3. Final approval: The individual has reviewed and approved the final version submitted for publication.

  4. Accountability: The individual agrees to take responsibility for their contribution and cooperate in resolving questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of the work.

All listed authors are expected to meet these criteria.

Individuals who contribute to the work but do not meet the full authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately, subject to their consent.

The journal recognizes that different disciplines and research settings may involve different forms of contribution. Nevertheless, authorship must not be assigned solely on the basis of professional position, academic seniority, institutional authority, or participation in a project.

3. Authorship in Community Engagement Publications

As a journal focusing on community engagement and community development, Buletin Ilmiah Nagari Membangun recognizes that manuscripts may arise from collaborative activities involving lecturers, researchers, students, community organizations, local governments, professional practitioners, and community partners.

Authorship decisions must reflect each individual's intellectual contribution to the manuscript, rather than their status within the project.

Examples of activities that do not, by themselves, establish eligibility for authorship include:

  • Providing financial or administrative support.

  • Granting permission to conduct community engagement activities.

  • Providing facilities, venues, equipment, or logistical assistance.

  • Supervising a project solely in an administrative capacity.

  • Participating in community engagement activities without making a qualifying intellectual contribution to the manuscript.

  • Holding a senior academic or institutional position.

  • Providing routine technical assistance without substantial intellectual involvement.

However, community partners, students, practitioners, and other collaborators may qualify as authors when they satisfy the authorship criteria stated in this policy.

The journal encourages the fair recognition of contributions from community partners and other collaborators.

4. Author Contributions Statement

Authors should provide a clear and accurate description of each author's contribution to the manuscript.

Where applicable, the journal encourages the use of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), which identifies contributions such as:

  1. Conceptualization

  2. Methodology

  3. Software

  4. Validation

  5. Formal analysis

  6. Investigation

  7. Resources

  8. Data curation

  9. Writing – original draft

  10. Writing – review and editing

  11. Visualization

  12. Supervision

  13. Project administration

  14. Funding acquisition

An individual may have more than one contribution role, and a particular role may be shared by multiple authors.

CRediT roles describe contributions; they do not independently determine whether an individual qualifies for authorship.

The contribution statement must be agreed upon by all authors before submission.

Example of an Author Contributions Statement:

Author A: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, and writing – original draft. Author B: Investigation, data curation, and visualization. Author C: Supervision, formal analysis, and writing – review and editing. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

The journal may request clarification when the stated contributions appear inconsistent with the authorship list.

5. Responsibilities of All Authors

All authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  1. The manuscript represents original scholarly work and appropriately acknowledges relevant sources.

  2. The information, findings, and outcomes reported are accurate and are not fabricated, falsified, or misleadingly presented.

  3. The manuscript has not been published previously or submitted simultaneously to another journal, except where an explicitly disclosed and permissible form of prior dissemination applies.

  4. Appropriate ethical approvals, informed consent, institutional permissions, and community permissions have been obtained when required.

  5. All relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest are disclosed.

  6. Funding sources and institutional support are accurately identified.

  7. All individuals who meet the authorship criteria are included, and individuals who do not qualify are not listed as authors.

  8. The final submitted manuscript has been reviewed and approved by every author.

  9. Any substantive use of generative artificial intelligence is disclosed in accordance with the journal's Generative AI Policy.

  10. Relevant questions about the accuracy, ethics, or integrity of the work are addressed promptly and transparently.

Authors must cooperate with reasonable editorial requests for clarification or supporting documentation during peer review and after publication.

6. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the journal and the author group.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all eligible authors have been included in the manuscript.

  • Confirming that all authors have approved the submitted version.

  • Providing accurate author names, affiliations, and contact details.

  • Coordinating responses to editorial and reviewer comments.

  • Ensuring that all authors are informed of significant editorial decisions and manuscript revisions.

  • Communicating any changes in authorship to the journal.

  • Coordinating the submission of required declarations, permissions, and supporting documentation.

  • Informing the journal promptly if errors or ethical concerns are discovered after submission or publication.

The corresponding author is not automatically entitled to make unilateral decisions about authorship or substantive manuscript changes on behalf of the other authors.

All authors retain responsibility for their respective contributions.

7. Order of Authors

The order of authors should be determined collectively by the author group before manuscript submission.

The journal does not prescribe a universal formula for determining author order, because the significance of authorship positions may vary across disciplines and collaborative arrangements.

Authors should agree on the order based on the nature and extent of their contributions, applicable disciplinary conventions, and transparent discussion.

Disagreements about author order should be resolved among the authors or through their institutions before submission whenever possible.

The editorial team will not determine author order on behalf of the authors.

8. Changes in Authorship

Any proposed change to authorship after manuscript submission must be explained and justified to the editorial office.

Such changes include:

  • Adding an author.

  • Removing an author.

  • Changing the order of authors.

  • Replacing the corresponding author.

  • Correcting an authorship attribution that materially affects responsibility for the work.

A request should include:

  1. A clear explanation of the reason for the change.

  2. The proposed revised authorship list and order.

  3. Written confirmation from all existing authors.

  4. Written agreement from any individual being added or removed, where obtainable and appropriate.

The journal may suspend editorial processing while an authorship dispute or significant authorship change is being assessed.

Authorship changes will not be accepted solely on the instruction of the corresponding author without appropriate evidence of agreement.

If agreement cannot be established, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or institutions.

After publication, a justified authorship change may require a formal correction notice to preserve the transparency of the scholarly record.

9. Authorship Disputes

Disputes concerning authorship eligibility, author order, omitted contributors, or unauthorized inclusion of individuals should first be addressed through discussion among the parties involved.

If the dispute remains unresolved, the journal may request written explanations and relevant supporting documentation.

The journal's role is to evaluate whether its publication requirements have been satisfied and whether editorial action is necessary.

The journal is not generally in a position to determine the relative intellectual contributions of individuals when the relevant facts are contested.

Where appropriate, the journal may request an investigation or determination by the authors' institutions or another competent body.

A manuscript affected by an unresolved material authorship dispute may have its editorial consideration suspended until sufficient clarification is available.

Disputes involving published articles will be assessed under the journal's Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections policy.

10. Unacceptable Authorship Practices

The journal does not accept the following practices:

Gift or honorary authorship: Listing a person as an author because of their position, reputation, seniority, relationship, or institutional influence, despite not meeting authorship criteria.

Guest authorship: Adding an individual primarily to improve the perceived credibility or acceptance prospects of a manuscript without a qualifying contribution.

Ghost authorship: Omitting an individual who meets the authorship criteria, including when the omission conceals an undisclosed writing or research contribution.

Coercive authorship: Pressuring individuals to add an undeserving author or exclude a deserving contributor.

Unauthorized authorship: Listing an individual without their knowledge or approval.

Where suspected authorship misconduct is identified, the journal may request clarification, suspend consideration, refer the matter to the relevant institution, or take other proportionate editorial action under its Allegations of Misconduct policy.

11. Acknowledgment of Non-Author Contributions

Individuals who have contributed to a manuscript without meeting the authorship criteria should be recognized in an acknowledgment section where appropriate.

Such contributions may include:

  • Technical or laboratory assistance.

  • Administrative and logistical support.

  • Community facilitation and field coordination.

  • Assistance with training, workshops, or outreach activities.

  • Language editing or professional editorial assistance.

  • Provision of facilities or equipment.

  • Institutional or financial support.

Authors should obtain permission from individuals named in the acknowledgments, because acknowledgment may imply their association with the work.

Funding information should be disclosed accurately and separately when required by the journal's submission format.

The acknowledgment section must not be used to conceal contributions that warrant authorship.

12. Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative artificial intelligence systems, including large language models and automated writing tools, cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for scholarly integrity, approve a final manuscript, or be held accountable for the published work.

Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, ethical compliance, and integrity of all submitted content, including material prepared with AI assistance.

Authors must not use AI-generated text, references, data, images, or other content in ways that fabricate evidence or misrepresent the conduct and outcomes of community engagement activities.

The use of generative AI must comply with the journal's separate Generative AI Policy, including applicable disclosure and confidentiality requirements.

13. Authorship Verification and Editorial Review

The journal may request additional information when questions arise concerning authorship or contributorship.

Such information may include:

  • A detailed author contributions statement.

  • Written confirmation of author approval.

  • Explanations of changes in authorship.

  • Relevant institutional documentation.

  • Clarification of the roles of community partners or other contributors.

Where reasonable concerns remain unresolved, the journal may delay a manuscript decision or refer the matter to the appropriate institution.

Editorial decisions will be guided by fairness, transparency, confidentiality, and the protection of the scholarly record.

14. Corrections to Authorship After Publication

If an authorship error is identified after publication, the journal will assess whether a correction is appropriate.

Examples include the omission of an eligible author, inclusion of an ineligible author, an incorrect author order, or an error in author identification.

A post-publication authorship correction will normally require a clear explanation and appropriate agreement among the individuals concerned.

Where agreement is disputed or the evidence is inconclusive, the journal may seek an institutional determination before taking action.

When a correction is issued, the journal will ensure that the correction is clearly identified and linked to the original article, consistent with its post-publication policies.

15. Related Policies and References

This policy should be read alongside the journal's:

  • Allegations of Misconduct

  • Complaints and Appeals

  • Conflicts of Interest

  • Ethical Oversight

  • Intellectual Property

  • Peer-Review Processes

  • Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

  • Generative AI Policy

References