Authorship carries significant responsibility, accountability, and legal implications for the integrity of the published academic record. PQ adheres to internationally recognized guidelines (such as those of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, ICMJE, which emphasize contributor roles [https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html]) to define appropriate authorship.

Authorship Criteria

All individuals listed as authors must meet the criteria below, demonstrating intellectual involvement in the research:

1. Substantial Contribution: The individual must have made significant contributions to the conception or design of the study, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the data. This may include the creation of new software used in the work.
2. Drafting and Revision: The individual must have participated in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final Approval: All authors must have read and approved the version of the manuscript submitted for publication.
4. Accountability: All authors must agree 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.

Exclusions from Authorship: Individuals who provided support but did not meet all four criteria above should be listed in the Acknowledgements section only. Examples of non-author contributions include language editing, providing resources, or general assistance. The practice of excluding individuals who made substantive contributions ("ghost writing") is prohibited.

Authorship and AI: In accordance with the COPE position on AI tools, Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI cannot be credited with authorship. This is because AI tools cannot conceptualize research without human direction, nor can they assume accountability for the work’s integrity, originality, or validity.

Role of the Corresponding Author

At least, one author is designated as the Corresponding Author, acting as the primary representative for the co-author group. This author ensures that all communication with the journal is managed effectively throughout the refereeing and publication process, and handles subsequent post-publication queries.

Key responsibilities include:

• Approval and Order: Ensuring all listed authors have approved the final manuscript and confirming the accuracy and order of authors before submission.
• Submission Documentation: Providing all necessary forms, including the signed Authorship form (signed by all authors) and the Conflicts of Interest form (signed by the Corresponding Author).
• Transparency: Making sure disclosures, declarations, and transparency regarding data statements and re-used material are included in the manuscript.
• Accountability: Acting on behalf of the co-authors to address questions related to the accuracy or integrity of the work. The corresponding author’s contact details, especially the email address, must be kept current.

Author Contributions (CRediT)

To promote transparency, authors are encouraged to specify the contribution of every author using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) methodology (https://credit.niso.org). This taxonomy provides a standardized way to describe the diverse efforts involved in producing scholarly work.

CRediT Roles (Examples):

• Conceptualization: Ideas, formulating goals.
• Methodology: Developing research design or models.
• Data Curation: Management activities to maintain and annotate research data.
• Formal Analysis: Applying statistical or computational techniques.
• Investigation: Performing experiments or data collection.
• Writing – Original Draft: Preparing the initial draft.
• Writing – Review & Editing: Critical review or revision of drafts.
• Supervision: Oversight and leadership of the research activity.
• Funding Acquisition: Securing financial support for the project.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring the description of roles is accurate and agreed upon by all contributors. PQ encourages the inclusion of an Author Contribution statement in the published paper.

Changes to Authorship

It is essential that authors establish the definitive author list, including the order, at the time of original submission. PQ generally will not consider changes to authorship once a manuscript has been submitted.

Any request for the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names must be approved by the journal editor and should ideally occur prior to acceptance.

Procedure for Change Requests: The corresponding author must submit the request (https://zenodo.org/records/17750189/files/Authorship_Change_Request_Form.docx?download=1) to the journal editor, providing detailed reasons for the change. This request must include written confirmation from all authors—including those being added or removed—that they agree with the proposed modification. Only in exceptional circumstances will the editor consider changes post-acceptance.

Consequences: The journal may pause the publication process while considering an authorship change request. Any unauthorized authorship changes may result in the rejection of the article or, if already published, a retraction. If an approved change occurs post-publication, a formal corrigendum will be issued.

Authorship Disputes: In the event of an authorship dispute during the peer review or after publication, the journal will not adjudicate. Authors will be asked to resolve the dispute internally. If they fail to do so, the journal may withdraw the manuscript or raise the issue with the authors’ institution(s).