Authorship Criteria

The Journal of Circular Economy Innovations requires authorship to reflect genuine scholarly contribution, accountability, and responsibility for the work submitted for publication. Authorship should not be assigned on the basis of seniority, institutional position, financial support, personal relationships, supervision alone, or other considerations unrelated to substantive intellectual contribution.

The journal's approach to authorship is informed by internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing, including appropriate attribution of contributions, transparency of responsibility, disclosure of conflicts of interest, and protection of the integrity of the scholarly record.

All individuals listed as authors should be able to identify their contribution to the work and should accept appropriate responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.

1. General Criteria for Authorship

An individual should be listed as an author only when they have made a substantive scholarly contribution to the research and are able to take responsibility for their contribution.

Authors should ordinarily satisfy the following principles:

  • make a meaningful intellectual contribution to the conception, design, methodology, data generation, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of the research;

  • participate substantially in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;

  • review and approve the version submitted for publication and, where applicable, the final version to be published; and

  • agree to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of their own contribution and cooperate in resolving questions relating to the work.

Individuals who do not meet appropriate authorship criteria should not be included as authors.

2. Substantive Contribution

Authorship should reflect an identifiable contribution to the scholarly content of the manuscript.

Relevant contributions may include:

  • development of the research concept or theoretical framework;

  • formulation of research questions or hypotheses;

  • research design;

  • development of methodology;

  • collection or generation of research data;

  • statistical or computational analysis;

  • interpretation of findings;

  • development or validation of models;

  • preparation of software or analytical tools essential to the research;

  • preparation of the original manuscript;

  • substantive intellectual revision; or

  • supervision involving meaningful intellectual responsibility for the research.

Providing only routine technical assistance, administrative support, general supervision, funding acquisition, proofreading, language editing, or access to facilities does not normally justify authorship unless accompanied by a substantive intellectual contribution.

3. Author Accountability

Every author should accept responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work within the scope of their contribution.

Authors should be prepared to:

  • explain their contribution;

  • respond to reasonable editorial inquiries;

  • provide clarification concerning methods, data, analysis, or interpretation where relevant;

  • cooperate in investigating legitimate concerns;

  • disclose significant errors discovered before or after publication; and

  • support appropriate correction of the scholarly record when necessary.

Authorship carries both academic credit and scholarly responsibility.

4. Approval of the Manuscript

All listed authors must approve the manuscript before submission.

The corresponding author should ensure that:

  • every listed author has reviewed the submitted version;

  • every listed author agrees to submission to the Journal of Circular Economy Innovations;

  • authorship order has been agreed upon;

  • author names and affiliations are accurate; and

  • relevant declarations have been reviewed by all authors.

No individual should be added as an author without their knowledge and consent.

5. Corresponding Author

One author should normally be identified as the corresponding author.

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between the journal and the author group during submission, peer review, revision, production, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating communication among coauthors but does not assume sole responsibility for the integrity of contributions made by other authors.

The corresponding author should ensure that:

  • author details are accurate;

  • required declarations are complete;

  • all authors are informed of editorial decisions;

  • revisions are approved by the author group;

  • conflicts of interest are disclosed;

  • funding information is accurately reported; and

  • relevant post-publication correspondence is communicated to coauthors.

6. Author Order

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

JRAIE does not impose a universal method for determining author order because conventions differ across disciplines and research traditions.

Authors should agree on author order transparently and should be prepared to explain the basis of the order if a legitimate dispute arises.

The journal will not normally adjudicate disputes concerning the relative importance of individual contributions.

7. Contribution Statements

Authors are encouraged to provide a contribution statement describing the role of each author.

Where appropriate, contributions may be described using recognized contributor categories such as:

  • Conceptualization

  • Methodology

  • Formal Analysis

  • Investigation

  • Data Curation

  • Software

  • Validation

  • Visualization

  • Writing – Original Draft

  • Writing – Review and Editing

  • Supervision

  • Project Administration

  • Funding Acquisition

Contribution statements improve transparency and help readers understand how responsibility for the work was distributed among authors.

8. CRediT Contributor Roles

The journal supports the use of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) where appropriate.

Authors may identify contributions according to relevant CRediT roles to provide a structured description of participation in the research.

Use of a contributor taxonomy does not automatically determine authorship. An individual may contribute to a project without necessarily qualifying for authorship, and authorship should remain based on substantive scholarly contribution and accountability.

9. Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be recognized in an Acknowledgments section.

Acknowledged contributions may include:

  • technical assistance;

  • administrative support;

  • language editing;

  • proofreading;

  • general project assistance;

  • access to facilities;

  • non-author statistical consultation; or

  • other forms of support.

Where acknowledgment could imply endorsement of the work, authors should obtain permission from the individual concerned where appropriate.

10. Honorary and Guest Authorship

Honorary authorship and guest authorship are not acceptable.

An individual should not be listed as an author merely because they:

  • hold a senior academic position;

  • lead a department or institution;

  • supervise the laboratory or research group;

  • provided funding;

  • facilitated access to resources;

  • have professional influence; or

  • are expected to improve the likelihood of publication.

Authorship must reflect actual scholarly contribution rather than status or influence.

11. Ghost Authorship

Ghost authorship occurs when an individual who made a substantial contribution to the research or manuscript is improperly omitted from the author list or contribution disclosures.

Authors should ensure that all individuals who genuinely qualify for authorship are appropriately identified.

Professional writers, consultants, analysts, or other contributors who make substantial contributions should be disclosed appropriately according to the nature of their role.

12. Purchased or Misrepresented Authorship

Buying, selling, transferring, or offering authorship positions is prohibited.

The journal does not accept:

  • purchased authorship;

  • authorship added in exchange for payment;

  • false author identities;

  • fabricated affiliations;

  • manipulated contributor statements; or

  • authorship arranged for the purpose of improperly influencing academic evaluation.

Where such practices are suspected, the journal may investigate the submission under its applicable research-misconduct and publication-ethics procedures.

13. Changes in Authorship Before Acceptance

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission should be made only for legitimate reasons.

The journal may require:

  • a written explanation for the proposed change;

  • confirmation from the corresponding author;

  • written agreement from all affected authors; and

  • updated contributor and conflict-of-interest statements.

Editorial processing may be suspended until the authorship issue is clarified.

14. Changes in Authorship After Acceptance

Authorship changes requested after acceptance are subject to increased scrutiny.

Such requests should provide a clear academic justification and written agreement from all authors.

The journal may delay publication until the matter is resolved.

Authors should therefore finalize authorship and author order before submission whenever possible.

15. Authorship Changes After Publication

Changes to authorship after publication are considered only where there is a legitimate and adequately documented reason.

Where an authorship correction is approved, the journal may publish a formal correction notice linked to the original article.

The published record should not be altered silently when a material authorship change has occurred.

16. Authorship Disputes

The Journal of Circular Economy Innovations does not normally have access to the evidence required to determine complex authorship disputes.

Authors are encouraged to resolve disagreements through their institution, research organization, or another appropriate body.

Where an unresolved dispute affects editorial processing, the journal may pause consideration of the manuscript until the responsible institution or author group provides sufficient clarification.

The journal may take editorial action where an authorship dispute reveals potential misconduct or materially affects the reliability of the publication record.

17. Deceased or Incapacitated Authors

Where an author dies or becomes unable to participate after making a substantial scholarly contribution, the remaining authors should inform the journal.

The individual may remain listed as an author where authorship criteria were satisfied before death or incapacity and where the circumstances are transparently documented.

The corresponding author should provide any information reasonably requested by the journal.

18. Group and Consortium Authorship

Research conducted by a consortium, collaborative group, or multidisciplinary team may use group authorship where appropriate.

The manuscript should identify:

  • the group or consortium name;

  • individuals who qualify as authors, where applicable;

  • contributor roles; and

  • the individual responsible for correspondence with the journal.

Membership in a research consortium alone does not automatically establish authorship.

19. Institutional and Multidisciplinary Collaboration

The journal welcomes collaborative research involving multiple institutions, countries, disciplines, sectors, or stakeholder groups.

Authors from interdisciplinary projects should ensure that authorship reflects genuine scholarly participation rather than organizational representation.

For research involving government bodies, industry partners, nonprofit organizations, or community stakeholders, contribution and authorship should be described transparently where appropriate.

20. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence systems, generative AI tools, large language models, chatbots, or other automated systems must not be listed as authors.

Such systems cannot:

  • accept responsibility for the manuscript;

  • approve the final version;

  • disclose conflicts of interest;

  • consent to publication;

  • respond independently to questions concerning research integrity; or

  • enter into publication agreements.

Human authors remain fully responsible for all AI-assisted content included in a submitted manuscript.

Substantive use of AI tools should be disclosed in accordance with the journal's AI Usage Policy where applicable.

21. Accuracy of Author Information

Authors are responsible for providing accurate:

  • full names;

  • institutional affiliations;

  • department or research-unit details;

  • city and country information;

  • email addresses;

  • ORCID identifiers, where provided; and

  • corresponding-author information.

False or misleading affiliations must not be used to enhance perceived academic credibility or institutional association.

An affiliation should normally represent the institution at which the relevant research was conducted or the author's legitimate current scholarly affiliation, as appropriate.

22. ORCID Identification

Authors are encouraged to provide a valid ORCID iD.

ORCID identifiers assist in distinguishing researchers with similar names, linking scholarly contributions, and improving the accuracy of author metadata.

Authors should provide only their own ORCID identifier and should ensure that the identifier is accurate.

23. Funding and Authorship

Providing financial support for research does not automatically qualify an individual or organization for authorship.

Funding sources should instead be disclosed in the appropriate funding statement.

Where a funder or sponsor also made a substantive intellectual contribution that meets the journal's authorship criteria, that contribution should be evaluated on the same basis as contributions from other participants.

24. Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose relevant conflicts of interest in accordance with the journal's Conflict of Interest Policy.

Competing interests should not be concealed through omission of an author, manipulation of affiliations, or inaccurate contribution statements.

Transparent disclosure enables editors and readers to evaluate potential influences on the research.

25. Responsibility for Data and Research Integrity

Authors involved in generating, collecting, analyzing, or interpreting data should ensure that the relevant information is accurately represented in the manuscript.

Where a manuscript relies on data produced by specific members of the research team, contributor roles should reflect these responsibilities where appropriate.

If concerns arise regarding the integrity of data, analysis, images, code, or other research materials, relevant authors should cooperate with editorial inquiries and institutional investigations.

26. Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author After Publication

The corresponding author should remain available, within reasonable limits, to assist with legitimate post-publication questions concerning the article.

This may include communication relating to:

  • corrections;

  • data availability;

  • authorship clarification;

  • conflicts of interest;

  • research-integrity inquiries; or

  • other matters affecting the scholarly record.

Post-publication responsibility does not expire immediately upon publication.

27. Editorial Handling of Authorship Concerns

Where the journal receives credible information concerning:

  • omitted authors;

  • inappropriate authors;

  • purchased authorship;

  • false identities;

  • unauthorized authorship changes;

  • manipulated contributions; or

  • related misconduct,

the editorial office may request explanations and documentation from the authors.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  • suspend peer review;

  • delay publication;

  • reject the manuscript;

  • request institutional clarification;

  • publish a correction;

  • issue another appropriate editorial notice; or

  • take action under the Research Misconduct Policy.

28. Author Responsibility Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Circular Economy Innovations, each listed author is understood to confirm that:

  • they meet the journal's authorship criteria;

  • their contribution has been represented accurately;

  • they have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript;

  • they consent to being identified as an author;

  • they accept appropriate responsibility for their contribution; and

  • they will cooperate with legitimate questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of the work.

Commitment to Responsible Authorship

The Journal of Circular Economy Innovations considers transparent and responsible authorship essential to the credibility of scholarly publishing.

Authorship should accurately identify those who made substantial intellectual contributions while ensuring that each author accepts appropriate accountability for the published work. Clear contribution statements, accurate affiliations, appropriate acknowledgment of non-author contributors, and transparent handling of authorship changes help protect both academic credit and the integrity of the scholarly record.