Authorship and Contributorship Policy

Authorship and Contributorship Policy

The JSES: Journal of Sport and Exercise Science is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and integrity in scholarly publishing within the fields of sports science, exercise physiology, biomechanics, sports medicine, physical education, and related disciplines. This policy outlines the journal’s requirements concerning authorship criteria, contributorship roles, author order, Corresponding Author responsibilities, post-submission changes, unethical authorship practices, and artificial intelligence usage. JSES adheres to the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

 

  1. Authorship Requirements

Authorship must accurately reflect substantial intellectual and empirical contributions to the study. To qualify as an Author in JSES, every individual listed must satisfy all four of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Contribution: Significant input into the study design, experimental or field protocols, data acquisition (e.g., physical testing, biomechanical measurements, clinical assessments, surveys), data analysis, or interpretation;
  2. Manuscript Drafting/Revision: Active involvement in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for crucial scientific and intellectual content;
  3. Approval: Explicit review and final approval of the version submitted, revised, and accepted for publication; and
  4. Accountability: Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the research, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy, scientific rigor, and ethical integrity of the work are properly investigated and resolved.

Supervisory oversight, academic rank, head of department status, clinical support, providing access to athletic teams/facilities, or procuring funding alone does not justify authorship. Individuals who do not meet all four criteria must be acknowledged in the Acknowledgment section rather than listed as authors.

 

  1. Author Contributions Framework

Every manuscript submitted to JSES must include an Author Contributions Statement positioned immediately prior to the References section. Authors must specify individual contributions using the following classification codes:

  • A – Study Design: Conceptualization of the research framework, experimental design, formulation of hypotheses, or protocol development in sport and exercise science.
  • B – Data Collection: Conducting laboratory experiments, field testing, participant recruitment, data acquisition, performance monitoring, or clinical assessments.
  • C – Statistical Analysis: Execution of statistical analysis, biomechanical/computational modeling, qualitative evaluation, or data synthesis.
  • D – Manuscript Preparation: Writing the initial manuscript draft, visualization of findings (tables, charts, motion analyses), or critical substantive revisions.
  • E – Funds Collection: Securing research grants, sponsorship, institutional funding, or material support for the study.

Guidelines for Assignment:

  • An author may hold multiple contribution codes, and multiple authors may share identical codes.
  • At least one qualifying intellectual contribution (codes A, B, C, or D) is mandatory for authorship eligibility.
  • Contributing solely to category E (Funds Collection) does not justify authorship without substantial involvement in codes A, B, C, or D.

 

  1. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The Corresponding Author serves as the primary liaison between the research group and JSES throughout the submission, peer review, revision, production, and post-publication stages.

The Corresponding Author is specifically responsible for:

  • Verifying that all listed individuals meet the criteria for authorship and that no qualifying contributor has been excluded;
  • Ensuring that no honorary, guest, or gift authors are included;
  • Securing confirmation from all authors regarding the author order and the assigned Author Contributions (A–E)codes;
  • Confirming the validity of ethical clearance approvals (including institutional review board approval and written informed consent from human participants/athletes);
  • Ensuring that all conflicts of interest and funding declarations are completely and truthfully disclosed.

JSES reserves the right to contact any co-author directly to confirm submission consent and contribution details.

 

  1. Author Order and Authorship Changes

The order of authorship must be mutually agreed upon by all authors prior to initial submission. JSES does not mediate or determine author sequence. Any request to add, remove, or reorder authors, or to change the Corresponding Author after submission, must be submitted using the journal’s Authorship Change Request Form addressed to the Editor-in-Chief. The request must include:

  1. A valid scientific or editorial justification for the requested adjustment;
  2. An updated Author Contributions (A–E) statement reflecting the reassignment of roles; and
  3. Explicit, written, and signed consent from all listed authors (including any author being added, removed, or rearranged).

Authorship changes are strictly prohibited once a manuscript has been formally accepted for publication, except in rare instances to correct an established clerical error or address an ethical concern.

 

  1. Post-Publication Authorship Corrections

Changes to authorship after publication will only be considered under exceptional circumstances to correct substantiated errors or resolve validated ethical issues. Authorship lists will never be altered silently. Approved adjustments will be published formally as an erratum or Correction / Corrigendum permanently indexed and linked to the original article in line with COPE practices.

 

  1. Non-Author Contributors (Acknowledgments)

Individuals who contributed technical, logistical, or non-intellectual assistance should be recognized in the Acknowledgment section. Examples include:

  • Athletic trainers, coaches, or laboratory technicians assisting with basic equipment operation without contributing to study design or analysis;
  • Language editors and proofreaders;
  • Organizations providing access to training facilities, sports clubs, or participant cohorts;
  • Department chairs providing purely administrative backing.

Authors must obtain written permission from all acknowledged individuals prior to manuscript submission.

 

  1. Inappropriate Authorship Practices

JSES maintains a zero-tolerance policy against unethical authorship practices, including:

  • Guest / Gift Authorship: Including individuals who made minimal or no contribution to improve acceptance odds or reciprocate professional favors;
  • Honorary Authorship: Naming senior academics, laboratory directors, or department heads solely due to institutional standing;
  • Ghost Authorship: Omitting genuine contributors, including junior researchers, graduate students, or data analysts;
  • Purchased / Contracted Authorship: Acquiring or selling authorship slots through commercial services, intermediaries, or paper mills.

Identification of such practices constitutes scientific misconduct and will result in immediate rejection, institutional notification, or article retraction.

  1. Authorship Disputes

Authors are required to settle all matters of eligibility, author sequence, and contribution coding before submission. If an authorship dispute arises during editorial evaluation or review, JSES will pause the editorial process. The editorial board will not adjudicate internal workplace agreements, contractual arrangements, or disputes over relative contribution weight. If the authors cannot resolve the issue collectively, the matter will be referred to the relevant institutional ethics committee or research integrity office.

 

  1. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Generative AI platforms, Large Language Models (LLMs), and automated writing assistants cannot be credited as authors or co-authors. AI tools cannot bear legal liability, uphold ethical accountability, or provide scholarly consent.

  • Human authors are entirely responsible for the scientific validity, factual accuracy, integrity, and originality of all content submitted, including materials prepared with AI assistance.
  • Any application of AI tools (e.g., in literature synthesis, automated data coding, or draft refinement) must be clearly stated in the Methods or an explicit declaration section, specifying the software name, version, and exact scope of application.

 

  1. References and Standards
  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): Authorship and Contributorship Resources
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE): Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors
  • World Association of Medical Editors (WAME): Authorship Guidelines
  • COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME: Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing