The journal’s authorship policy complies with the rules and recommendations of COPE, Elsevier, and EASE.

All individuals listed as authors of an original article are expected to have made a substantial contribution to the research.

All persons named as authors must meet the authorship criteria (ICMJE 2022). In particular, they must:

• make a substantial contribution to the conception and methodology of the study, as well as to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data;

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

• take responsibility for all aspects of the work related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the article;

• approve the final version of the article.

The journal encourages authors to use the CRediT taxonomy.

The editorial board does not limit the number of authors for a particular publication; this is the responsibility of the co-authors, who should be guided by the requirements for determining authorship and co-authorship set out in this section.

Changes to the list of authors are not permitted while a manuscript is under editorial review. If a dispute arises between authors regarding their respective contributions after the manuscript has been submitted to the editorial office, the editorial process will be suspended until the authors notify the editors that all issues have been fully resolved.

The following forms of authorship are unacceptable:

• ghost authors — individuals who do not make a substantial contribution (often those who pay for the publication or act as commercial sponsors of the publication);

• guest authors — individuals who do not make a significant contribution but are listed as authors in order to increase the chances of publication;

• gift authors — individuals whose contribution is based solely on a weak association with the research.

The order of authors in the publication should be based on a joint decision of the co-authors in accordance with the significance of each author’s contribution.

Individuals who participate in the research but do not meet the journal’s criteria for authorship should be listed under “Contributors” or “Consultants.” For example: persons who assisted the research by providing advice, offering research space, providing financial support, and so forth.