Authorship

1. Criteria for Authorship

 

The Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Development (JPDD) adheres to the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Authorship credit must be based on all four of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND

  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND

  3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND

  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

     

All individuals listed as authors must meet all four criteria.

 

2. Non-Author Contributions (Acknowledgements)

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet all four authorship criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgements section.

This includes those who provided:

  • General supervision of the research group.

  • Acquisition of funding.

  • Technical support (e.g., laboratory assistance, data collection).

  • Writing assistance, technical editing, or language editing.

  • Other contributions that do not justify authorship.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from all individuals named in the Acknowledgements section.

 

3. The Role of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is the single individual who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the submission, peer review, and publication process.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria.

  • Verifying that all co-authors have seen and approved the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

  • Managing all communication between the journal and the co-authors.

  • Ensuring all ethical and procedural requirements (like conflict of interest disclosures and ethics approvals) are correctly declared.

  • Being available after publication to respond to inquiries or critiques of the work.

 

4. Changes to Authorship

Any request to change the authorship list (i.e., adding, removing, or reordering authors) after the initial manuscript submission must be taken very seriously.

  • How to Request a Change: The corresponding author must submit a formal request to the Editor-in-Chief.

  • Required Information: The request must include:

    1. A clear reason for the change.

    2. A written, signed confirmation (e.g., via email) from all authors (including those being added or removed) stating that they agree to the change.

  • Approval: Changes to authorship are not guaranteed and are made at the Editor's discretion.

 

5. Unethical Authorship

JPDD considers all forms of unethical authorship a serious breach of publication ethics. This includes:

  • Guest/Gift Authorship: Including an individual who does not meet the authorship criteria, often to boost their publication record.

  • Ghost Authorship: Omitting an individual who does meet the authorship criteria, often a junior researcher or a paid medical writer.

 

6. AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)

AI tools, such as Large Language Models (LLMs) or chatbots, cannot be listed as authors. These tools do not meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship, as they cannot provide final approval, agree to accountability, or manage copyright.

Authors who use AI tools in the writing or analysis of their manuscript must disclose this use in the Methods or Acknowledgements section, specifying the tool used and the nature of its contribution. The human authors remain fully responsible and accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the entire work.