Author's Responsibilities

Author Declaration Form

At submission, EVERY AUTHOR listed in the manuscript must READ and COMPLETE the following statements on: (A) Authorship Responsibility, (B) Authorship Criteria, (C) Authorship Contribution, (D) Funding Disclosures, (E) Contributor Disclosures/Acknowledgments, and (F) Conflicts of Interest Disclosures.

Author's Responsibilities

Authors should:

  • Ensure that all researched work submitted is original, fully referenced and that all authors are represented accurately. The submission must be exclusive and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Provide accurate contact details for a designated corresponding author, who shall be deemed by the publisher and editor as fully responsible for the authorship of the paper and all communications concerning the ethical status and originality of the paper. This includes any queries or investigations that may arise, pre- or post publication.
  • Openly disclose the source of all data and third party material, including previously unpublished work by the authors themselves. Anything that could compromise the originality of the submission should be expressly avoided and/or discussed with the editorial office in the first instance.
  • Identify any third party material that they intend to include in their article, and obtain written permission for re-use in each instance from the relevant copyright holders. Such permissions should be submitted once the manuscript is accepted, or requires small changes to be accepted. For further guidance on seeking permission to use 3rd party material please see the Rights and Permissions section.
  • Openly disclose any conflict of interest - for example, if publication were to benefit a company or services in which the author(s) has a vested interest.
  • Expect to sign a copyright assignment form on acceptance of their work, which will assume that the author is empowered to assign copyright to the publisher.
  •  Expect the editor to scan submissions using plagiarism detection software to check a paper's originality before sending out for review.
  • Fully correspond and comply with the editor and publisher in any requests for source data, proof of authorship or originality in a timely manner, providing reasonable explanation for discrepancies or failures to disclose vital information.
  • Fully co-operate with any consequent investigations if the editor and/or publisher are dissatisfied with the evidence available or the explanations provided.
  • Expect transparency, efficiency and respect from the publisher and the editor during the submissions process.
  • Remain in good communication with both the publisher and the editor.
  • When necessary, submit corrigenda in a timely and responsible fashion.
  • Co-operate fully with the publication of errata and with the retraction of articles found to be unethical, misleading or damaging.
  • Remain in good communication with the editor(s), the publisher and any co-authors.