Authorship and Contributorship Policy

JSOMER requires authorship to reflect substantial intellectual contribution, final approval, and accountability, while recognizing non-author contributions transparently.

Purpose

This policy establishes requirements for authorship eligibility, responsibilities, contributorship, order, corresponding and group authorship, acknowledgments, inappropriate practices, AI, authorship changes and disputes, post-publication corrections, and editorial handling of concerns.

The policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to JSOMER.

Core principle: Every author must meet all four criteria · CRediT describes contributions but does not establish authorship · AI cannot be an author · Authorship changes require documented agreement

1Authorship Criteria

An author must satisfy all four criteria:

1. substantial contribution to conception or design, or to acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data or evidence;
2. drafting the manuscript or critically reviewing important intellectual content;
3. approval of the final version; and
4. accountability for the work and cooperation in resolving questions of accuracy, integrity, or ethical acceptability.

Every author must identify the author’s own contribution and should have reasonable confidence in the integrity of the other contributions. Substantive contributors should be given a reasonable opportunity to participate in manuscript preparation and final approval.

2Responsibilities of All Authors

All authors are responsible for:

• ensuring that the manuscript reports the research accurately and honestly;
• approving the manuscript before submission;
• approving the journal to which the manuscript is submitted;
• agreeing on the author list and author order;
• approving the final version accepted for publication;
• confirming the accuracy of their names, affiliations, and ORCID iDs;
• ensuring that their individual contributions are described accurately;
• disclosing relevant funding and conflicts of interest;
• disclosing related, overlapping, or previously disseminated work;
• complying with applicable research ethics and informed consent requirements;
• acknowledging the contributions of individuals who do not qualify for authorship;
• responding to editorial questions within a reasonable period;
• cooperating with corrections, retractions, or investigations when necessary; and
• taking appropriate responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

No author may avoid responsibility by claiming that another author handled all aspects of the research or manuscript. Authors are primarily responsible for the parts of the work to which they contributed. All authors nevertheless share responsibility for cooperating with any investigation concerning the integrity of the complete work.

3Corresponding Author

One author must be identified as the corresponding author.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

• managing communication with JSOMER;
• ensuring that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria;
• confirming that no eligible author has been omitted;
• confirming that no ineligible individual has been included;
• obtaining all authors’ approval of the manuscript and its submission;
• confirming the accuracy of the author order;
• submitting complete and accurate author information;
• providing author contribution, funding, conflict-of-interest, ethics, data availability, and artificial intelligence declarations;
• disclosing related manuscripts, preprints, theses, reports, and other relevant versions of the work;
• coordinating responses to editors and reviewers;
• ensuring that all authors review and approve substantive revisions;
• reviewing the article proof;
• communicating editorial decisions to all authors;
• ensuring that all authors approve the final version;
• responding to post-publication questions; and
• cooperating with corrections or research-integrity procedures.

The corresponding author’s responsibilities do not reduce the responsibilities of the other authors. The corresponding author must provide an active email address that is expected to remain available throughout the editorial and publication process. More than one corresponding author may be identified when justified by the nature of the collaboration. One individual must nevertheless be designated as the principal contact for communication with the journal’s editorial system.

4Author Order

Authors must agree on order before submission. JSOMER does not assign meaning to first, middle, final, or corresponding positions and does not impose a disciplinary convention. Authors should consider the nature and significance of contributions, disciplinary practice, manuscript preparation, and leadership or supervision.

Equal contribution may be declared only when genuinely equivalent and must be explained in the contribution statement. Disputes must be resolved by the authors or their institutions; JSOMER does not adjudicate relative contribution importance.

5Author Contributions and CRediT

Research articles and identifiable multi-author work require a contribution statement. Authors should use the CRediT Contributor Role Taxonomy where appropriate:

• Conceptualization
• Data Curation
• Formal Analysis
• Funding Acquisition
• Investigation
• Methodology
• Project Administration
• Resources
• Software
• Supervision
• Validation
• Visualization
• Writing – Original Draft
• Writing – Review & Editing

Roles may be shared and authors may hold multiple roles. CRediT describes contributions but does not determine authorship. Funding Acquisition, Resources, Project Administration, or Supervision alone are insufficient. The corresponding author must ensure accuracy and all-author approval.

6Standard Author Contribution Statement

Only roles actually performed should be listed. The following format may be adapted:

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, A.A. and B.B.; methodology, A.A.; software, B.B.; validation, A.A. and C.C.; formal analysis, B.B.; investigation, A.A.; resources, C.C.; data curation, B.B.; writing – original draft, A.A.; writing – review and editing, A.A., B.B., and C.C.; visualization, B.B.; supervision, C.C.; project administration, A.A.; funding acquisition, C.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version.

Single-author format: The author was responsible for conceptualization, methodology, analysis, investigation, writing, review, and final approval.

7Contributions That Do Not Qualify for Authorship

The following activities do not, by themselves, qualify an individual for authorship:

• obtaining funding;
• providing general administrative support;
• providing general supervision without a substantial intellectual contribution;
• holding a senior academic or administrative position;
• serving as a department chair, dean, director, or laboratory head;
• providing routine technical assistance;
• providing access to equipment or facilities;
• recruiting participants without further intellectual contribution;
• collecting data without involvement in the intellectual development, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation;
• providing language editing;
• proofreading;
• formatting the manuscript;
• providing routine statistical or software assistance;
• recommending a journal;
• introducing members of the research team; or
• providing general professional advice.

Individuals who contributed in these ways may be acknowledged, provided that they agree to be named.

A person must not be added as an author solely because of seniority, status, authority, institutional position, mentorship relationship, funding, or ownership of facilities.

8Acknowledgments

Non-author contributors should be acknowledged with an accurate description of technical, language, statistical, data-collection, administrative, facilities, software, recruitment, materials, or professional assistance. Permission must be obtained from named persons. Relevant paid and unpaid writing, editing, translation, statistical, methodological, technical, or professional assistance and its funding source must be disclosed.

9Inappropriate Authorship Practices

JSOMER prohibits inappropriate authorship, including:

Evidence of inappropriate authorship may result in:

• suspension of editorial evaluation;
• requests for clarification or documentation;
• rejection or withdrawal of the manuscript;
• correction or retraction after publication;
• contact with the authors’ institutions;
• restriction of future submissions in serious cases; or
• another action consistent with the journal’s publication ethics procedures.

10Students, Supervisors, and Research Teams

Students and early-career researchers must receive authorship when they qualify. Supervisory status, general oversight, or routine progress review is insufficient. A qualifying supervisor may be an author; otherwise, acknowledgment is appropriate.

When work is substantially based on a thesis or dissertation, the student who conducted the research should normally be an author and receive recognition for the central contribution. Any departure must be supported by contribution records. Power differences must not be used to impose, deny, or alter authorship unfairly.

11Local and Community Contributors

Qualifying local researchers, collaborators, and community partners must be considered regardless of institutional prestige, location, career stage, or funding access. Contributors must not be excluded merely because another institution led, funded, analyzed, or first drafted the work. Non-author community partners may be acknowledged with attention to consent, privacy, community expectations, and ethics.

12Group or Consortium Authorship

Group authorship is permitted when the submission identifies the group name, directly responsible individuals, qualifying authors and contributions, corresponding author, approval process, and persons included in metadata.

A group byline must be accompanied by a complete member list distinguishing authors from non-author contributors. Membership alone does not establish authorship. All group authors must qualify, approve the manuscript, and accept accountability.

13Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

AI cannot approve manuscripts, provide consent, accept responsibility, disclose conflicts, transfer copyright, respond independently, verify source integrity, or cooperate with investigations.

Human authors remain fully responsible for AI-assisted text, translations, code, analysis, citations, tables, figures, images, interpretations, and conclusions. Substantive use must be disclosed under the AI Policy. AI assistance neither establishes authorship nor reduces human accountability.

14Professional Writers, Editors, and Translators

Substantive professional writing, editing, translation, statistical, or technical assistance must be disclosed. A professional contributor meeting all criteria should be an author; otherwise, acknowledgment should describe the contribution.

Disclosures should identify the contributor with permission, service, payment status and source, and relevant sponsor or organizational connections. Professional assistance must not conceal ghost authorship or sponsor involvement.

15Author Names and Affiliations

Authors must provide accurate names, order, affiliations, units, cities, countries, emails, and ORCID iDs. The affiliation should normally reflect where the research occurred; a current affiliation may be separately listed.

False affiliation, nonexistent endorsement, omission relevant to conflicts, unauthorized institutional names, and misleading author information are prohibited. JSOMER may request email verification, ORCID authentication, professional profiles, or documentation.

16ORCID iDs

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide an authenticated ORCID iD belonging to the author. No person may create, control, or enter another author’s iD without authorization. ORCID does not replace authorship verification or responsibility.

17Authorship at Initial Submission

The corresponding author must confirm that the list is complete; all authors qualify; no eligible author is omitted; no ineligible person is included; and all authors approved the manuscript, submission, order, contribution statement, and accountability.

JSOMER may contact any author independently. Processing may be suspended when participation is not confirmed or the submission is disputed.

18Authorship Changes Before Acceptance

Requests to add, remove, reorder, or replace authors after submission must be sent to the Editorial Office by the corresponding author.

The request must include:

• the manuscript title and identification number;
• the proposed change;
• a detailed explanation;
• the contribution of any added author;
• the reason an author was omitted or included incorrectly;
• an updated author contribution statement;
• an updated conflict-of-interest statement where necessary; and
• the written agreement of all existing, added, removed, and reordered authors.

A written agreement from a removed author is normally required.

JSOMER will scrutinize all authorship changes. A request may be declined when:

• the explanation is inadequate;
• all authors do not agree;
• the proposed author does not satisfy the criteria;
• a deserving author would be removed;
• the change appears to involve gift, guest, ghost, purchased, or coercive authorship;
• the change raises concerns about the integrity of the research; or
• the authorship dispute requires institutional investigation.

Editorial evaluation may be suspended while the request is reviewed.

Approval of an authorship change does not imply acceptance of the manuscript.

19Authorship Changes After Acceptance

Post-acceptance changes are allowed only in exceptional, documented circumstances. All pre-acceptance requirements apply, and authors must explain the delay. Production may be suspended, with further review, author or institutional contact, reconsideration of acceptance, rejection, or withdrawal where serious concerns arise.

20Authorship Changes After Publication

Post-publication authorship changes are corrections requiring careful review, potentially including written explanations, all-party agreement, institutional documentation, contribution verification, reliability confirmation, and an independent institutional determination. Approved changes normally require a linked correction and metadata updates. Retraction or another action may be required when authorship is connected to fabricated contributions, misconduct, unreliable findings, identity fraud, or another serious problem.

21Authorship Disputes

JSOMER does not decide who deserves authorship when parties disagree about facts, contributions, or order. The journal may request documents and statements, suspend processing, refer the matter to institutions, request a formal finding, or take another protective action. Processing may resume after signed agreement or formal institutional determination. Unresolved disputes may result in rejection, administrative withdrawal, suspension, or an Expression of Concern after publication.

22Deceased Authors

A deceased contributor may remain or be included when the criteria were satisfied before death. Surviving authors must confirm contribution and, where possible, prior approval; identify an authorized contact when needed; and disclose the death. A note may be published with authorization. Remaining authors address questions the deceased author cannot answer. Honorary addition is prohibited.

23Authors Who Cannot Be Contacted

The corresponding author must document reasonable contact attempts. JSOMER may require alternative contacts, institutional confirmation, co-author confirmation, contribution evidence, and an explanation.

Publication normally requires final approval from every living author. Exceptional consideration requires verified qualifying contribution, prior approval, circumstances beyond the team’s control, and institutional or authorized-representative confirmation. The Editor-in-Chief decides and may require an explanatory note.

24Author Name Changes After Publication

Reasonable name-change requests are handled respectfully and privately. JSOMER may update metadata, records, full text where technically possible, and DOI or indexing metadata. A public notice is not required when it would unnecessarily disclose private information, although a confidential record may be retained. Name changes are distinct from adding or removing authors.

25Editors, Board Members, Reviewers, and the Publisher as Authors

Journal-affiliated individuals may be authors only when they meet the same criteria and disclose their roles. They receive no preference and must be excluded from initial assessment, handling-editor appointment, reviewer selection, review correspondence, revision evaluation, decisions, and scheduling involving their manuscripts. Independent handling must follow the Peer Review Policy, Publication Process, Editorial Board Governance Policy, and endogeny requirements. An editorial independence statement should appear where applicable.

26Verification and Documentation

JSOMER may request signed declarations, CRediT statements, institutional email confirmation, ORCID authentication, communications, protocols, ethics applications, data-management records, project documentation, institutional findings, or other evidence before or after publication. A request does not itself indicate misconduct. Failure to provide reasonable documentation may lead to suspension, rejection, withdrawal, correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction.

27Suspected Authorship Misconduct

Potential warning signs may include:

• unexplained addition or removal of authors;
• repeated authorship changes during revision;
• an author who cannot explain the work or respond to reviewer comments;
• omission of a person who appears to have written or analyzed the work;
• inclusion of an individual from an unrelated field without a clear contribution;
• unusually long or short author lists inconsistent with the nature of the research;
• undisclosed professional writing assistance;
• author identities or contact details that cannot be verified;
• identical or closely related manuscripts submitted under different author groups;
• requests to use noninstitutional or unverifiable email addresses without explanation;
• evidence of purchased or transferred authorship; or
• contribution statements inconsistent with the manuscript or project records.

When concerns arise, the journal may suspend the editorial process and request clarification or documentation. Authors will normally be given an opportunity to respond. When the concern cannot be resolved through editorial correspondence, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or another appropriate authority.

28Institutional Investigations

Institutions are generally better placed to investigate factual contribution disputes, coercion, identity fraud, employment relationships, and project records. JSOMER may contact an institution when disputes remain unresolved, misconduct is credibly suspected, documentation is unreliable, authorship or approval is denied, persons appear improperly omitted or added, purchased or coercive authorship is suspected, or post-publication correction requires an independent finding. JSOMER may request a written conclusion but retains responsibility for editorial and publishing action.

29Confidentiality and Privacy

Authorship concerns are handled as confidentially as reasonably possible. Information may be shared only with relevant authors, the Editor-in-Chief, an independent editor, the publisher for necessary administration, an integrity officer, ethics committee, legal or regulatory authority, or another legitimate party. Private information will not be disclosed more widely than necessary. Confidentiality does not prevent a correction, Expression of Concern, retraction, or other notice needed to maintain the scholarly record.

30Relationship Between Authorship and Copyright

Authorship, contributorship, copyright, and licensing are related but distinct. Authorship does not automatically determine copyright under every law, employment agreement, policy, or contract. Authors must have submission and publication rights, use third-party material lawfully, satisfy institutional or sponsor requirements, and permit the journal’s license. Copyright and licensing are addressed in JSOMER’s Copyright and Licensing Policy and Author Rights Policy.

31Policy Violations

Failure to comply with this policy may result in:

• return of the submission for correction;
• suspension of editorial evaluation;
• rejection;
• administrative withdrawal;
• reconsideration of acceptance;
• correction after publication;
• expression of concern;
• retraction;
• notification of the authors’ institutions;
• restriction of future submissions in serious or repeated cases; or
• another appropriate action consistent with the journal’s ethics policies.

The action taken will depend on the seriousness, evidence, timing, and effect of the violation.

32Author Declaration

At submission, the corresponding author must confirm the following statement on behalf of all authors:

Authorship Declaration: All listed authors satisfy the Journal of Social Media Research’s authorship criteria. Each author made a substantial contribution to the work, participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content, approved the submitted version, and agreed to be accountable for the work. All authors approved the author list and author order. No eligible author has been omitted, and no person who does not satisfy the authorship criteria has been included. The author contribution statement is accurate and has been approved by all authors.

33Contributorship Declaration

For multi-author research manuscripts, the following statement must also be confirmed:

Contributorship Declaration: The author contribution statement accurately describes the contributions of each author. The corresponding author has confirmed the statement with all authors. Assignment of a CRediT role does not replace the journal’s authorship criteria, and all listed authors satisfy those criteria independently.

34Policy Review

This policy is reviewed periodically for consistency with actual editorial practice; recognized authorship and contributorship standards; research and publication-ethics developments; the Submission Guidelines; AI and Conflicts of Interest Policies; Publication Process; Corrections and Retractions Policy; and relevant indexing, abstracting, and directory requirements.

Material changes will be disclosed through the journal website.

Contact
Questions concerning authorship, contributorship, author order, authorship changes, or disputes may be directed to the JSOMER Editorial Office: editor@jsomer.org
Last updated: July 20, 2026