Authorship and Contribution Policy

EPH – International Journal of Medical and Health Science (IJMHS) , recognizes authorship as an important reflection of individual contributions to scholarly and scientific research. The journal is committed to ensuring that authorship is assigned fairly, transparently, and only to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the conception or design of the research, acquisition of data, analysis or interpretation of data, or other significant intellectual contributions to the work.

Authors should also:

  • Participate in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
  • Approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and publication.
  • Accept responsibility for their respective contributions to the work.
  • Agree to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the research and manuscript.

Individuals who have not made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research or manuscript should not be listed as authors.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the journal throughout the submission, peer review, revision, and publication process.

The corresponding author should:

  • Ensure that all listed authors have approved the manuscript.
  • Confirm that all authors meet the journal's authorship requirements.
  • Coordinate communication between the authors and the Editorial Office.
  • Provide accurate author information and required declarations.
  • Ensure that all authors are informed of substantive revisions and the final editorial decision.

The corresponding author does not necessarily have to be the first author.

Author Order

The order of authors should be agreed upon by all authors before submission.

The journal does not determine the order of authorship and does not resolve disputes regarding the relative contribution of individual authors. Authors are responsible for reaching agreement on authorship and author order before submission.

Contributorship

Where appropriate, authors may provide information describing their individual contributions to the research and manuscript. Contribution statements may be requested by the Editorial Office where necessary.

Contributions may include:

  • Conceptualization
  • Methodology
  • Investigation
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis
  • Interpretation of results
  • Writing – original draft
  • Writing – review and editing
  • Supervision
  • Project administration
  • Other substantial scholarly or scientific contributions

All contributors should be appropriately acknowledged according to the nature and significance of their contribution.

Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or change the order of authors after submission must be supported by a clear and legitimate justification.

Any proposed change in authorship requires:

  • A written request from the corresponding author.
  • An explanation of the reason for the proposed change.
  • Confirmation and agreement from all existing authors.
  • Written confirmation from any author being added, removed, or otherwise affected by the proposed change.

The Editorial Office may place the manuscript on hold until the authorship issue has been satisfactorily resolved.

For articles that have already been published, authorship changes will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and may require an appropriate published correction or other editorial action.

Guest, Gift, and Ghost Authorship

EPH – International Journal of Medical and Health Science (IJMHS) does not support:

  • Guest or honorary authorship, where individuals are listed as authors without making a qualifying contribution.
  • Gift authorship, where authorship is provided as a personal, academic, or professional favor.
  • Ghost authorship, where individuals who made substantial contributions to the research or manuscript are omitted from the author list.

All listed authors should have made a genuine and substantial contribution to the research and manuscript and should accept responsibility for their respective contributions.

Acknowledgment of Contributors

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged with their permission.

Examples may include technical assistance, administrative support, language assistance, data collection support, laboratory assistance, or other contributions that do not meet the journal's authorship criteria.

Authorship Disputes

The journal expects authors to resolve authorship disputes among themselves whenever possible and before submission.

If a dispute cannot be resolved, the Editorial Office may request relevant documentation or refer the matter to the authors' affiliated institutions or other appropriate authorities. The journal may suspend editorial processing until the matter has been satisfactorily resolved.

EPH – International Journal of Medical and Health Science (IJMHS) does not assign authorship or determine individual author contributions on behalf of research teams.