Authorship policies

The Zanco Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences adheres to rigorous standards of authorship to ensure transparency, fairness, and ethical practises in scholarly publishing. Authorship policies in ZJPAS are designed to establish guidelines and criteria for determining who qualifies as an author on a research paper. These policies help maintain integrity, transparency, and fairness in the publication process. These guidelines describe the principles and practises that authors should follow while writing a research paper. The guidelines are intended to ensure that the authorship of a research paper is attributed to those who have made a significant contribution to the work. 

Role of Authors and Contributors
All authors must be actively involved in drafting or revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content: "Conception and Design of the Study, Data Collection and Analysis, Drafting and Revising the Manuscript, Critical Intellectual Content, and Final Approval of the Manuscript."  All authors are typically required to give their final approval for the version of the manuscript submitted for publication. This signifies that each author agrees with the content, conclusions, and overall presentation of the research.

Role of the Corresponding Author

One author is assigned, as the corresponding author acts on behalf of all co-authors and ensures that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately addressed. The corresponding author plays a crucial role in the publication process of an academic journal article. This individual serves as the primary contact point between the authorship team and the editorial staff of the journal. Here are the key roles and responsibilities of the corresponding author:
A. Ensuring Author Approval: The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the manuscript before submission. This includes obtaining agreement on the content, conclusions, and order of authorship.

B. Managing Communication: The corresponding author ensures ethical compliance, including obtaining necessary approvals for human or animal studies. Upholding ethical standards is critical, and this condition emphasises the corresponding author's role in obtaining the required approvals and ensuring the research meets ethical guidelines.

Institutional Affiliation

Authors typically list their institutional affiliations, such as universities, research institutions, or companies, to indicate where the research was conducted. This information helps readers understand the context of the study. The primary affiliation for each author should be the institution where most of their work was done. If an author has subsequently moved, the current address may additionally be stated. Addresses will not be updated or changed after the publication of the article.

Author identification
Authors are strongly recommended to use their ORCID ID when submitting an article for consideration. ORCID IDs provide a unique and persistent identifier for researchers, ensuring accurate and unambiguous attribution of scholarly works. This helps distinguish authors with similar names and reduces the chances of misidentification

Authorship contribution statement
Author contributions refer to the specific roles and responsibilities that each author has played in the research, writing, and preparation of a scholarly manuscript. Documenting author contributions is essential for transparency, accountability, and ensuring that each individual is appropriately credited for their work. Authorship contributions are often outlined in the manuscript itself or in a separate Author Contributions section. Here are some common categories of author contributions:
1. Conceptualization: The development of the initial idea, research question, or hypothesis.

2. Methodology: Data Collection, Data Analysis, and Statistical Analysis.

3. Writing: Draft Preparation, Writing,  Review & Editing, Supervision, Funding Acquisition, Project Administration, Visualisation, Resources, and Data Curation

4. Review and Approval: Final review and approval of the manuscript before submission. It is crucial for research teams to collaboratively and transparently define each author's contributions at the beginning of the project. This helps prevent authorship disputes and ensures that each contributor is appropriately acknowledged.
This information is typically included in the Author Contributions section. after the Acknowledgments section in the manuscript

Authorship Changes

Authorship changes in a manuscript after the initial submission can be a sensitive matter, and ZJPAS  has specific policies and procedures to address such changes. Here are some common considerations regarding authorship changes:

1. Request for Changes: Any proposed changes to the list of authors, order of authors, or contributions should be communicated to the journal editor (ZJPAS). This request may come from the corresponding author or other co-authors.
2. Consent of All Authors: ZJPAS requires the consent of all authors for any proposed changes in authorship. This includes additions, removals, or alterations in the order of authors.
3. Justification: Authors requesting changes are often required to provide a clear and justified explanation for the proposed alterations. This may include detailing the contributions of each author and the reasons for the changes.