Authorship &
Contributorship Policy.

In accordance with the ICMJE Recommendations, an individual must satisfy all four authorship criteria to qualify for authorship. Meeting only one, two, or three criteria is not sufficient.

All Four Criteria Are Mandatory

Individuals fulfilling all four criteria must be recognized as authors. Individuals who do not satisfy the complete criteria should instead be recognized appropriately in the Acknowledgments section, subject to their consent.

The authorship criteria are not intended to exclude legitimate contributors. Individuals who have made substantial research contributions must receive a reasonable opportunity to participate in manuscript drafting, critical revision, and final approval.

Each author is responsible for the integrity and accuracy of their individual contributions and must understand the distribution of responsibilities among co-authors. Authors should be able to identify the individuals responsible for specific components of the research and have reasonable confidence in the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of their co-authors' contributions.

The identification of eligible authors is the collective responsibility of the research team and should ideally be established during the initial planning stages of the study. Authorship arrangements may be reviewed and adjusted as research progresses to reflect actual intellectual contributions.

All listed authors must accept responsibility for the published work and cooperate in resolving concerns involving research integrity, data accuracy, methodological validity, or ethical compliance.

Prohibited Authorship Practices

Escalate does not permit unethical practices that grant authorship to individuals who fail to meet the established criteria or exclude individuals who have made qualifying intellectual contributions.

The order of authors must be determined through mutual agreement among all contributing authors, taking into consideration their respective intellectual and scholarly contributions.

The first author is generally the individual who has made a leading contribution to the research and manuscript preparation. However, authorship order may vary according to disciplinary conventions and agreements established by the research team.

The editorial board does not determine authorship eligibility, assign authorship order, or arbitrate disputes concerning authorship. Such matters are the responsibility of the authors and, where necessary, their affiliated institutions.

If an authorship dispute cannot be resolved through mutual agreement, the institution or institutions where the research was conducted should be requested to investigate and facilitate an appropriate resolution.

Changes to Authorship Arrangements

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors following submission or publication must be accompanied by a clear written justification and signed agreement from all listed authors, including individuals being added or removed. All requests are subject to editorial assessment and publication ethics requirements.

The corresponding author assumes primary responsibility for communication between the authors and the journal throughout manuscript submission, peer review, revision, publication, and post-publication processes.

Principal Responsibilities

Shared Accountability: Although the corresponding author serves as the primary journal contact, responsibility for the accuracy, validity, and integrity of the published research remains shared among all authors.

For research involving multiple researchers, institutions, or collaborative groups, authorship must be determined transparently through collective agreement and in accordance with the established ICMJE criteria.

All identified authors must satisfy the four mandatory authorship requirements, approve the final manuscript, and accept public responsibility for their scholarly contributions.

Where research is conducted by a consortium or collaborative group, the corresponding author must clearly identify the group name, where applicable, and distinguish qualifying authors from collaborators and other non-author contributors.

Each qualifying author must have sufficient knowledge of the research to take responsibility for their contributions and must have reasonable confidence in the accuracy and integrity of the work undertaken by other research team members.

Individuals contributing without meeting all four authorship criteria may be recognized in an Acknowledgments section or appropriate contributorship statement, subject to their consent.

The journal encourages ethical research collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and geographical regions, including appropriate acknowledgment of researchers and collaborators from the locations in which research activities are conducted.

To promote transparency, accountability, and proper attribution, Escalate: Economics and Business Journal encourages authors of multi-authored manuscripts to provide an explicit Author Contributions Statement describing the specific roles performed by each contributor.

Contribution statements may follow the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), a standardized framework identifying distinct roles in scholarly research and manuscript preparation.

The contribution statement must accurately represent the work performed by each individual and should be agreed upon by all authors before manuscript submission.

CRediT Contributor Roles

Important Distinction

The CRediT taxonomy supports accurate recognition and transparent attribution of scholarly contributions. However, assignment of a CRediT role does not independently establish authorship eligibility or replace the four mandatory ICMJE authorship criteria.

Individuals who contribute to research but do not meet all four authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. Their contributions may instead be appropriately recognized in the Acknowledgments section.

Examples of Non-Author Contributions

Acknowledgment must accurately describe the assistance provided and should be made with the permission of the individuals concerned. Financial and institutional support must also be disclosed in appropriate funding or acknowledgment statements when applicable.

Recognition of non-author contributors promotes fairness and transparency while preserving the integrity and credibility of authorship designation.

Escalate: Economics and Business Journal recognizes that legitimate changes in authorship may occasionally become necessary during the editorial or publication process. Such changes must be supported by appropriate justification, transparent documentation, and agreement among the individuals concerned.

Requests to add or remove authors, or to modify authorship order after submission, acceptance, or publication, must include a written explanation detailing the reasons for the proposed change.

Required Documentation

Where authorship disagreements remain unresolved, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant academic or research institution for investigation before making an editorial decision concerning the manuscript or published article.

Academic Integrity. Transparency. Accountability.

Through the implementation of this policy, Escalate: Economics and Business Journal seeks to ensure that authorship accurately reflects intellectual contributions, all qualifying contributors receive appropriate recognition, and published articles meet internationally recognized standards of academic accountability and research integrity.

The journal expects all submitting authors to comply with these principles throughout the research, submission, peer-review, and publication processes. Adherence to this policy contributes to the credibility, transparency, and trustworthiness of scholarly communication in economics, management, business, accounting, and related disciplines.

AUTHORSHIP GUIDELINES

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

CONTRIBUTOR ROLES

Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT)

Contributor Roles Taxonomy: A Standardized Framework for Describing Individual Contributions to Scholarly Research.