Authorship Criteria

Authorship and Contributorship Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering adheres to international standards of publication ethics set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) regarding authorship and contributorship. Authorship confers credit for a researcher's scholarly work and carries direct academic, ethical, and public accountability for the published article.

1. Criteria for Authorship

To be listed as an author on a manuscript submitted to INCODING, an individual must cumulatively satisfy all four (4) of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Intellectual Contribution: Made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the study, algorithm, or system architecture; or to the acquisition, preprocessing, analysis, or interpretation of research data.
  2. Drafting and Critical Revision: Participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important technical and intellectual content.
  3. Final Approval: Reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript prior to submission and publication.
  4. Accountability: Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy, reproducibility, or integrity of any part of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved.

2. Non-Author Contributors and Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the research or manuscript preparation but do not meet all four authorship criteria above (for example, those who provided purely technical assistance, laboratory/server access, data collection support, language editing, or general departmental supervision) must not be listed as authors. Instead, their contributions should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section with their written permission.

3. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

One author must be designated as the Corresponding Author during submission. The Corresponding Author acts on behalf of all co-authors and assumes primary responsibility for:

  • Communicating with the editorial office throughout submission, peer review, revision, and proofing stages.
  • Ensuring that all listed co-authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript and agreed to their order of authorship prior to submission.
  • Providing accurate institutional affiliations, email addresses, ORCID iDs (where available), and conflict-of-interest or funding disclosures for all co-authors.
  • Responding to post-publication inquiries, data verification requests, or critiques regarding the published work.

4. Changes to Authorship

Authors are expected to carefully consider the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript. Any request to add, remove, or rearrange author names after initial submission must be submitted formally to the Editor-in-Chief and requires:

  • A clear written justification explaining the reason for the change in authorship; and
  • Written confirmation (signed statement or email verification) from all authors—including any author being added or removed—expressing their agreement with the requested modification.

Changes to authorship are not permitted after a manuscript has been accepted for publication unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated and approved by the Editorial Board via a formal Corrigendum.

5. Unacceptable Authorship Practices and AI Tools

  • Gift, Guest, or Honorary Authorship: Including individuals as authors solely out of seniority, institutional position, or personal courtesy without substantial intellectual contribution is strictly prohibited.
  • Ghost Authorship: Omitting individuals who made substantial contributions to the research or writing of the manuscript is unethical and prohibited.
  • Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs): Automated tools and Generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume legal or ethical accountability for scholarly work.