Authorship Criteria

Authorship in Al-Muhafidz: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur'an dan Tafsir should reflect substantial scholarly contribution and responsibility for the published work. Contribution statements must describe accurately the work each author performed. This policy follows the COPE Core Practices and the ICMJE Recommendations.

1. Eligibility
A person qualifies as an author only when all of the following apply:

  • the person made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the study, to data acquisition or processing, or to analysis or interpretation;
  • the person drafted the manuscript or critically revised it for important intellectual content;
  • the person approved the final version and any substantive revision before publication;
  • the person agrees to be accountable for their own contribution and to cooperate in resolving questions about the accuracy or integrity of the work.
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These criteria apply to empirical, theoretical, interpretive, and other discipline-appropriate research. Anyone who may meet the criteria should be given a fair opportunity to take part in developing, reviewing, and approving the manuscript.

2. Author Contribution Statement
Every manuscript must include a statement naming each author and their actual role. Authors may use the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) terms or a clear narrative description suited to the study. One contribution may be shared by several authors, and one author may hold several roles. Listing a role in the statement does not, by itself, make a person eligible for authorship.

For a single-author manuscript, the statement should still describe the work done by that author. Sample wording may be used only where it matches the real contributions.

3. Approval and Order of Authors
All listed authors must approve the submission to Al-Muhafidz, the author list, the order of names, the contribution statement, and the designation of the corresponding author. Approval is also required for each substantive revision.

Authors decide the order of names together, taking into account their contributions and the conventions of their discipline. The journal does not infer anyone's contribution from their position in the list. An equal-contribution statement may be included when it is accurate and agreed by all authors.

Each author should understand the whole work, know their own contribution, and know which co-authors are responsible for the other major parts. Questions about the integrity of the manuscript should be handled cooperatively.

4. Corresponding Author
The corresponding author is the main point of contact between the author group and the editorial office. This role does not give sole ownership of the research or permission to ignore co-authors' approval. The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • making sure every eligible author is included and has approved the submission;
  • providing accurate author information, contribution statements, and other declarations;
  • sharing editorial correspondence and revision requests with co-authors, and coordinating agreed responses;
  • keeping a working contact address and helping answer questions before and after publication.

5. Non-Author Contributors and Acknowledgments
Contributors who do not meet all authorship criteria are named in the Acknowledgments, with a description of their help and their permission to be named. Funding acquisition, general supervision, institutional leadership, access to facilities, routine technical work, translation, proofreading, or administrative support on its own does not make someone an author. Such people may qualify only if they also meet all of the criteria.

Professional writing or editing assistance must be acknowledged, together with its funding source. Funding details belong in the funding statement, and an acknowledgment does not replace the required financial or competing-interest disclosures.

6. Unacceptable Practices

  • Honorary or gift authorship: listing someone because of rank, seniority, personal ties, or as a favour, rather than for an eligible contribution.
  • Guest authorship: adding a well-known name to make a manuscript look more credible, without meeting the criteria.
  • Ghost authorship: leaving out an eligible author, or hiding substantial help that should have been disclosed.
  • Buying, selling, or pressuring for author positions without an eligible scholarly contribution.

Artificial intelligence systems cannot meet the approval and accountability requirements, so they must not be listed as authors. Any use of AI tools in preparing a manuscript is governed by the journal's AI Policy and must be disclosed.

7. Changes to Authorship
Requests to add or remove an author, change the author order, or change the corresponding author must be sent to the editorial office with:

  • the manuscript identifier, the proposed change, and a clear explanation;
  • an updated contribution statement where relevant;
  • written agreement from every affected author, including anyone being added or removed.

Changes are subject to editorial assessment and are not approved simply because the author group asks for them. Processing may be paused while the request is clarified. Requests made after acceptance receive closer scrutiny, because authorship should normally be settled before submission.

After publication, an approved change is carried out under the Corrections policy. If agreement cannot reasonably be obtained, for example because an author has died or is incapacitated, the requesting party must explain the circumstances for editorial review. Approval is not assumed.

8. Authorship Disputes
Disagreements about contributions or author order should be resolved before submission. The editorial office may ask for explanations and supporting material, but it does not decide between competing claims about work done within a research team. Unresolved disputes may be referred to the author's institution or another competent body, following the relevant COPE guidance. Editorial processing may be paused in the meantime. Formal investigation and any action on a published article follow the Integrity Investigations and Corrections policies.