Authorship
ACW Press advocates for authenticity and transparency in authorship for publication in its open-access journals. Authorship is associated with responsibility and recognition for the content of the manuscript submitted for publishing. As a result, all listed authors must adhere to our "Authorship Criteria."
Upon receipt of a manuscript, the editorial staff verifies and confirms the acknowledgment and approval of the submission with all authors and contributors. This step ensures the manuscript's validity before processing it for publication. Furthermore, all authors are required to approve both the submitted and accepted versions of the manuscript.
Author Contribution
All authors' contributions must be listed at the time of submission, as the level of contributions will be published with the final article. ACW Press has adopted the CRediT Taxonomy formulated during a joint workshop between Harvard University and the Wellcome Trust and a pilot led by Cell Press's Gabriel Harp to help identify each author's contribution to the work.
Author Contribution Statement
ACW Press promotes transparency by publishing author contribution statements. In the manuscript, including review-type articles, authors must include a statement of responsibility that outlines each author's contributions. The level of detail required may vary based on the field of study. Some disciplines produce manuscripts that comprise discrete efforts, which can be readily articulated in detail, while others may function as group efforts at all stages.
Corresponding Author
ACW Press requires co-authors to mutually agree on selecting the corresponding author, who will be responsible for obtaining consensus from all co-authors on all aspects of the article, including authorship list, order, and correct affiliations, prior to submission.
In addition to the above responsibilities, the corresponding author serves as the point of contact for all editorial queries and represents all co-authors in any communication about the article throughout the submission, peer review, production, and post-publication stages. The corresponding author is also responsible for signing the publishing agreement on behalf of all the listed authors.
Acknowledgment
To acknowledge the contributions of individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria, ACW Press allows their recognition in the manuscript's acknowledgments section, provided that they give their consent. These contributions may include technical assistance or financial/material support.
However, acknowledgment in the manuscript does not confer authorship credit and should not be used to circumvent the authorship criteria. Only those who meet the authorship criteria should be listed as authors. Authors are responsible for identifying all individuals who meet the criteria for authorship and obtaining their agreement to be listed as an author. Conversely, all individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors but can still be acknowledged in the manuscript's acknowledgments section.
Financial Disclosures and Declarations
Authors must disclose all funding sources or financial support in the acknowledgments section, even if there is no specific funding. Authors must also indicate the role of the research funder beyond financial assistance, such as the involvement of commercial organizations, at the time of manuscript submission. Furthermore, any other sources of support, such as funding for open-access publication, writing or editorial assistance, or provision of experimental materials, must be clearly described.
Changes in Authorship
At the time of submission, authors must ensure the accuracy of the author group, the Corresponding Author, and the order of authors. Changes to the author list, such as a change in the order of authors or the addition or deletion of authors, must be approved by all authors. After the acceptance of a manuscript, any changes to authorship by adding or deleting authors, changing the Corresponding Author, or altering the sequence of authors are strictly prohibited.
It is important to note that the names of authors will be published exactly as they appear on the accepted submission. Therefore, authors must ensure that all names are correctly spelled and that addresses and affiliations are up-to-date.
Generally, adding and/or deleting authors at the revision stage is not permitted. However, there may be exceptional cases where such changes are necessary. Authors must provide a valid reason for the proposed changes in authorship. The Editor-in-Chief has the discretion to approve or reject the request for changes during the revision stage. It is worth noting that individual journals may have specific policies regarding adding or deleting authors during the revision stage.
Author Identification
ACW Press requires authors to provide their ORCID/LiveDNA ID before publishing a manuscript to ensure the author's identity is verified and their work is correctly attributed. Therefore, as per policy, the ORCID/LiveDNA iD of the corresponding author and the author who submitted the manuscript is required before publication.
Confidentiality
Authors are expected to maintain strict confidentiality with respect to all communication exchanged with the journal, including any correspondence with the Editors-in-Chief and/or Handling Editors, as well as the reviewers' reports, unless explicit authorization has been obtained to disclose such information.
Author Issues or Disputes
The ethical committee of the journal will meticulously examine and resolve any disagreements concerning authorship, which may include instances of ghost authorship or gift authorship, based on the protocols established by the Committee on Publication Ethics.
It is incumbent upon all authors, even those collaborating on multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary projects, to uphold the precision and credibility of all elements of the submitted material. Prior consent from all authors listed must be sought for any modifications to the authorship, such as additions, deletions, changes in order, or revisions to the contributions.
