Author Credit Policy

1. Policy Statement

The Journal of Personnel Management (JPM), published by SMARCONS (Society of Management Research and Consultancy), is committed to ensuring fairness, transparency, accountability, and ethical integrity in the recognition of scholarly contributions.

The journal follows internationally recognized publication ethics principles and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authorship must accurately reflect each individual's substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript preparation.

Authorship credit must not be assigned based solely on academic seniority, institutional position, personal relationships, financial support, or administrative authority.

All authors must disclose their individual contributions accurately and accept responsibility for their scholarly work. The journal strictly prohibits unethical authorship practices, including ghost, guest, gift, and honorary authorship.

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to JPM, including original research articles, systematic and narrative reviews, conceptual papers, theoretical studies, and other scholarly contributions.

2. Author Contributions

JPM adopts the internationally recognized CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to ensure transparent and consistent reporting of individual author contributions.

All authors must declare their respective contributions using the following 14 CRediT roles, where applicable:

Conceptualization: Development or formulation of the research ideas, objectives, and theoretical framework.
Methodology: Design and development of the research methodology, analytical framework, and procedures.
Software: Development, implementation, or maintenance of software and analytical tools used in the research.
Validation: Verification of the accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of research results and procedures.
Formal Analysis: Application of statistical, mathematical, qualitative, computational, or other analytical techniques.
Investigation: Conducting research activities, including surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, and data collection.
Resources: Provision of research materials, instruments, facilities, participant access, or other resources.
Data Curation: Management, organization, cleaning, documentation, and preservation of research data.
Writing – Original Draft: Preparation of the initial manuscript and its substantive scholarly content.
Writing – Review & Editing: Critical review, intellectual revision, and improvement of the manuscript.
Visualization: Preparation and presentation of figures, tables, conceptual frameworks, graphs, and diagrams.
Supervision: Academic guidance, research oversight, and mentorship throughout the research process.
Project Administration: Coordination, planning, and management of the research project.
Funding Acquisition: Acquisition of financial resources or research funding.

An author may perform several CRediT roles, and multiple authors may share the same role. However, assignment of a CRediT role does not automatically establish eligibility for authorship.

Author Contribution Statement

Authors must include an accurate contribution statement in their manuscript.

Example:

Author Contributions: Author A: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft. Author B: Formal Analysis, Data Curation, Visualization. Author C: Supervision, Validation, Writing – Review & Editing.

All contributors must approve the statement before submission.

3. Authorship Criteria

JPM follows responsible authorship principles consistent with COPE recommendations.

To qualify for authorship, an individual must meet all the following criteria:

Have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, design, methodology, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the research.
Have participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
Have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript intended for publication.
Have agreed to be accountable for their own contributions and to cooperate in resolving questions concerning the accuracy and integrity of the research.

Individuals who provide only financial assistance, general supervision, administrative support, proofreading, or technical assistance without satisfying these criteria must not be listed as authors.

Such individuals may be recognized in the Acknowledgements section, subject to their consent.

All authors share responsibility for ensuring the integrity of the published research, while each author remains specifically accountable for their own scholarly contributions.

4. Order of Authors

The authorship order must be determined collectively by the contributing authors before manuscript submission.

The sequence should reflect the authors' agreed contributions and the accepted conventions of their research discipline.

The first author is generally the individual who has contributed most substantially to the research and manuscript preparation. However, the journal recognizes that authorship conventions may vary across collaborative research projects.

Where two or more authors have contributed equally, the authors may include an equal-contribution statement.

JPM does not determine authorship order based on academic qualifications, institutional rank, administrative authority, or professional seniority.

Any proposed change in author order after submission requires written justification and agreement from all affected authors.

5. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the research team and the JPM editorial office throughout manuscript submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

Ensuring that all listed authors satisfy the journal's authorship criteria.
Obtaining approval from every co-author before manuscript submission.
Confirming the accuracy of names, institutional affiliations, email addresses, and ORCID identifiers, where provided.
Providing accurate author contribution statements.
Managing communication with the editorial office.
Coordinating responses to editorial and reviewer comments.
Ensuring that all authors approve substantive revisions and the final accepted manuscript.
Providing complete funding, competing interests, research ethics, and other required declarations.
Ensuring the accuracy of information included in manuscript submission forms.
Communicating editorial decisions and publication updates to co-authors.
Responding to post-publication questions regarding the published research.

Although the corresponding author manages communication and administration, all co-authors remain accountable for their respective contributions.

6. Acknowledgement of Non-Author Contributions

JPM recognizes the importance of acknowledging individuals and organizations that have assisted in the research but do not meet the established authorship criteria.

Acknowledgements may include contributions such as:

Administrative and logistical support.
Technical assistance.
Language editing and proofreading.
Research assistance and routine data collection.
Institutional or organizational support.
Financial and material assistance.
General academic guidance and mentorship.

Authors must obtain permission from individuals named in the Acknowledgements section, since acknowledgement may imply endorsement of the research.

Funding support should also be appropriately declared in a separate Funding Statement, where applicable.

7. Ghost, Guest, Gift, and Honorary Authorship

JPM strictly prohibits unethical authorship practices.

Ghost Authorship: Excluding an individual who has made contributions sufficient to qualify for authorship.

Guest Authorship: Including an individual primarily to increase the manuscript's perceived credibility or likelihood of acceptance despite insufficient scholarly contribution.

Gift Authorship: Granting authorship as a personal or professional favor without satisfying the journal's authorship criteria.

Honorary Authorship: Including an individual because of academic seniority, institutional authority, administrative position, or professional status rather than a qualifying intellectual contribution.

Allegations concerning inappropriate authorship will be reviewed according to the journal's publication ethics procedures and relevant COPE guidance.

Depending on the circumstances, editorial action may include requesting clarification, suspending manuscript processing, referring the matter to the relevant institution, rejecting the manuscript, or taking appropriate corrective action after publication.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence in Manuscript Preparation

JPM recognizes the growing application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in scholarly research and manuscript preparation.

However, AI tools, including generative AI systems and large language models, cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work.

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies for limited language improvement, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and readability refinement, provided that the resulting text is carefully reviewed and verified by the authors.

The journal does not permit the undisclosed generation of substantive scholarly content, including original research arguments, literature reviews, interpretations, findings, or conclusions, presented as the authors' independent intellectual contributions.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate or manipulate research data, citations, references, figures, or analytical results.

Any substantive or otherwise significant use of AI technologies must be transparently disclosed, including the tool used, the purpose of its application, and the extent of human oversight.

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, confidentiality, ethical compliance, and integrity of all submitted content.

For further information, authors may consult the COPE Position Statement on Authorship and AI Tools.

9. Changes in Authorship After Submission

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be submitted in writing to the editorial office.

The request must include:

A clear explanation of the proposed authorship modification.
Justification for why the change was not identified before submission.
An updated author contribution statement, where applicable.
Written agreement from all existing authors and any author being added or removed.
Supporting documentation, if requested by the editorial office.

The Editor-in-Chief will evaluate authorship changes in accordance with the journal's authorship criteria and relevant COPE recommendations.

No authorship modification will be approved solely at the request of the corresponding author without appropriate documentation and necessary author consent.

For published articles, approved authorship changes may require a formal correction notice to maintain the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record.

10. Resolving Authorship Disputes

JPM is committed to handling authorship disputes fairly, impartially, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE recommendations.

All authors are expected to resolve questions concerning authorship eligibility, order, and contributions before manuscript submission.

The journal may request a completed Author Contribution Form or written confirmations from authors when necessary.

The editorial office may examine relevant documentation and facilitate communication; however, it does not independently adjudicate disputed scholarly contributions. Such matters may require investigation by the authors' academic or research institutions.

Step 1: Submission of Complaint

An authorship complaint may be initiated by a listed author, an individual claiming inappropriate inclusion or exclusion, or an authorized representative of a relevant institution.

The complaint must be submitted in writing through the journal's official editorial contact channel and should include relevant supporting evidence, such as correspondence, manuscript drafts, contribution records, or other documentation.

Step 2: Acknowledgement and Preliminary Assessment

The editorial office will aim to acknowledge receipt of the complaint within five working days.

The Editor-in-Chief or designated editorial representative will conduct a preliminary review to determine the nature and seriousness of the concern.

Manuscript processing may be temporarily suspended where the dispute could materially affect authorship integrity.

Step 3: Collection of Written Statements

All relevant authors and involved parties may be requested to submit written statements describing their scholarly contributions and positions regarding the disputed authorship.

The editorial office may request additional supporting documentation and explanations of previously submitted contribution statements.

Step 4: Referral to Relevant Institutions

Where an authorship dispute cannot be resolved through documented agreement, or where allegations of research misconduct arise, JPM may refer the matter to the relevant academic or research institution.

The institution may be requested to undertake an independent assessment or investigation.

Editorial processing may remain suspended until sufficient clarification or an institutional outcome is received.

Step 5: Editorial Outcome

Following consideration of the available evidence and any relevant institutional findings, the journal may:

Resume manuscript processing after satisfactory resolution.
Approve a justified authorship correction.
Request further clarification or documentation.
Reject or discontinue consideration of a manuscript where serious concerns remain unresolved.
Issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction for a published article when warranted under the journal's publication ethics policies.

Step 6: Confidentiality and Documentation

All authorship complaints, communications, supporting evidence, and editorial decisions will be documented and treated confidentially.

Information will be shared only with relevant individuals or institutions when reasonably necessary for the resolution process.

Editorial decisions affecting authorship will be communicated in writing to the relevant parties, subject to applicable confidentiality requirements.

Step 7: Mediation and Further Review

Where appropriate, the journal may recommend independent mediation through the authors' institutions or another mutually acceptable academic mediator.

If mediation is unsuccessful, the matter may be escalated to the relevant institutional authorities.

Where a published article is affected by unresolved concerns about authorship integrity, JPM may consider issuing an expression of concern or other appropriate editorial notice in accordance with COPE recommendations.

11. Responsibilities of Submitting and Corresponding Authors

The submitting author and corresponding author may be the same individual or different individuals. Their principal administrative responsibilities are outlined below.

Responsibility	Submitting Author	Corresponding Author
Ensuring accurate author details and affiliations	✓	✓
Managing initial manuscript submission	✓	As applicable
Confirming co-author consent and approval	✓	✓
Providing author contribution statements	✓	✓
Communicating with the editorial office	As applicable	✓
Coordinating responses to reviewer comments	As applicable	✓
Ensuring ethics and funding disclosures are complete	✓	✓
Coordinating manuscript revisions	As applicable	✓
Confirming approval of the final manuscript	✓	✓
Managing publication-related correspondence	As applicable	✓
Responding to post-publication inquiries	As applicable	✓
Facilitating authorship dispute resolution	✓	✓

All authors remain individually responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their scholarly contributions, irrespective of their submitting or corresponding author status.

12. Author Confirmation and Compliance

Before submitting a manuscript to JPM, all authors must confirm that:

They meet the journal's authorship eligibility requirements.
Their individual contributions have been accurately disclosed.
The authorship order and corresponding author designation have been mutually agreed upon.
They have reviewed and approved the manuscript submitted for consideration.
All required funding, competing interests, research ethics, and AI-use declarations have been provided accurately.
They accept responsibility for their contributions and agree to cooperate in resolving any questions concerning research integrity.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in editorial investigation, rejection of the manuscript, or appropriate corrective action following publication.

13. Contact Information

For inquiries concerning authorship eligibility, contribution statements, changes in authorship, or authorship disputes, authors should contact:

Editorial Office
Journal of Personnel Management (JPM)
Publisher: SMARCONS (Society of Management Research and Consultancy)
Journal Website: https://journals.smarcons.com/index.php/jpm/index
Contact Page: https://journals.smarcons.com/index.php/jpm/about/contact

14. Policy Commitment

The Journal of Personnel Management is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly integrity, fair attribution of intellectual contributions, accountability, and transparency throughout the publication process.

All authors are expected to read, understand, and comply with this policy before manuscript submission.

Relevant International Guidelines