Authorship Criteria

General Policy

BALANCE: Economic, Business, Management and Accounting Journal is committed to upholding the principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the authorship of scholarly publications. This authorship policy is formulated based on the principles of authorship and contributorship established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the four authorship criteria recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), adapted for the fields of economics, business, management, and accounting.

Inclusion as an author must be based on a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and the writing of the article; it shall not be based solely on position, seniority, academic relationships, funding support, or institutional affiliation.

Authorship Criteria

Every individual listed as an author of an article must meet all of the following criteria:

Substantial contribution to the research. Making a significant contribution to the conception or design of the research, the development of theory or a conceptual framework, data collection, data analysis, the interpretation of results, or the development of research methodology.
Involvement in drafting the manuscript. Participating in the drafting of the article or conducting a critical review of the manuscript’s intellectual content.
Approval of the final manuscript. Reading and approving the final version of the article to be submitted for publication.
Accountability for the scholarly work. Accepting responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the published work, including cooperating in the clarification and resolution of any questions regarding the validity of the data, methods, analysis, results, or any other part of the article.

All authors are required to meet these four criteria. Individuals who meet the first criterion must be given the opportunity to participate in the drafting or critical review of the manuscript, as well as in the approval of the final version, prior to the determination of authorship.

Author Order and Corresponding Author

The order of authors’ names is determined by mutual agreement among all authors, based on their respective contributions to the research and the writing of the article. The determination of author order is not based solely on academic rank, seniority, or structural position.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

Ensuring that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript.
Ensuring that the names, affiliations, email addresses, and the order of authors are listed correctly.
Serving as the primary point of contact between the authors and the editorial team throughout the submission, review, revision, and publication process.
Communicating information regarding the editorial process to all authors.
Ensuring that the statement of author contributions and any other disclosures required by the journal are provided accurately.

Being the corresponding author does not automatically imply that an individual is the lead author or has made the greatest contribution. The responsibility for authorship remains with all authors.

Contributions That Do Not Meet Authorship Criteria

Individuals whose contributions do not meet all the criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors. However, their contributions may be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgements" section, provided this is relevant and has been approved by the individuals concerned.

Contributions that do not automatically meet authorship criteria include:

Providing funding or research facilities without substantial intellectual contribution.
Providing administrative support or general supervision.
Collecting data without further intellectual involvement that meets authorship criteria.
Providing technical assistance, translation, language editing, or proofreading.
Providing other forms of support that do not involve participation in the writing process, critical review, approval of the final manuscript, or shared responsibility for the scholarly work.

5.Unacceptable Authorship Practices

BALANCE: Economic, Business, Management and Accounting Journal does not permit authorship practices that violate the ethics of scientific publication, including:

Honorary authorship: the inclusion of an individual’s name as an author despite them not having made a contribution that meets the criteria for authorship.
Gift authorship: the granting of authorship status to an individual as a gesture of respect, a favor, or for other specific interests, despite them not meeting the criteria for authorship.
Ghost authorship: the failure to include an individual who has made a substantial contribution and meets the criteria for authorship.
Misuse of position or status: the inclusion of an individual as an author solely based on their academic rank, structural position, or personal relationship with the researcher(s).
Misrepresentation of contributions: the provision of inaccurate information regarding the specific role of each author.

All authors and the corresponding author are responsible for ensuring that the author list reflects actual contributions.

Author Contribution Statement

BALANCE: Economic, Business, Management and Accounting Journal encourages authors to include a statement detailing each author's contribution to the submitted manuscript. This statement aims to enhance transparency and clarify the responsibilities of each individual in the production of the scholarly article.

Contributions may be described based on the following roles, according to the actual involvement of each author:

Conceptualization of the research.
Development of methodology.
Data collection.
Data analysis and interpretation.
Development of analytical tools or techniques.
Drafting the initial manuscript.
Reviewing and editing the substance of the manuscript.
Research supervision.
Administration and coordination of the research project.

Authors must state their contributions honestly and should not claim roles they did not perform. Author contribution taxonomies, such as CRediT, may be used to help standardize these statements.

Changes in Authorship

Any changes to the author list including the addition or removal of authors, or alterations to the order of authorship after a manuscript has been submitted must be accompanied by a clear justification and written consent from all involved authors, including the individuals being added or removed. Such changes require approval from the editor before they can be processed further.

In the event of a dispute regarding authorship that cannot be resolved through mutual agreement, the journal may request clarification and suggest that the matter be addressed through the relevant institutions. The journal will handle such issues in accordance with publication ethics principles and relevant COPE guidelines.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Writing

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in writing, language editing, analysis, or the processing of article content must be carried out responsibly and disclosed in accordance with the journal’s policy on the use of AI. AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they are unable to assume responsibility, provide consent, or guarantee accountability for scholarly work. Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of the entire manuscript content, including any material generated or assisted by AI.

Statement of Authorship Consent

By submitting a manuscript to BALANCE: Economic, Business, Management and Accounting Journal, the corresponding author declares that all authors have met the authorship criteria, approved the submitted version of the manuscript, agreed upon the order of authorship, and accept responsibility for the integrity and content of the article.

The journal reserves the right to request clarification or supporting documentation if there are indications of irregularities regarding the inclusion of author names or statements of contribution. Any alleged misconduct will be handled in a fair and transparent manner, in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics policy.

Policy References