Authorship Principles

1. Introduction
   The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics aims to uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency in scientific publishing, including ensuring fair and accurate attribution of authorship and co-authorship. This policy defines the criteria for authorship, the responsibilities of authors, and the procedure for recognizing contributions to ensure proper acknowledgment of all individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions to the manuscript. This policy aligns with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

2. Description
   Authorship ensures recognition and has significant academic, social, and financial implications. It also implies responsibility for the published work. The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics defines an "author" as a person who has made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript.
   Co-authorship refers to participation in the research or manuscript preparation that does not meet all the authorship criteria but still deserves recognition.
   Unethical authorship practices undermine the integrity of scientific data. The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics strictly prohibits:

• Gift authorship (guest or honorary authorship): granting authorship to individuals who do not meet the established authorship criteria, often due to their seniority, reputation, or expectation of reciprocity.

• Implicit authorship: failure to list an individual who has made a significant contribution, deserving of authorship, or failure to acknowledge individuals (such as professional medical writers) who helped in writing or preparing the manuscript.

• Authorship denial: excluding individuals who meet the authorship criteria.
  Transparency regarding contributions is crucial. The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics encourages practices that clearly define the roles and contributions of all individuals involved in the research and manuscript preparation.

3. Policy

• Authorship Criteria: The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics requires that all individuals listed as authors meet all the established criteria for authorship. We recommend that authorship be based on the following four criteria (adapted from ICMJE recommendations):

  1. Substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; OR data collection, analysis, or interpretation for the work.

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

  3. Final approval of the version to be published.

  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring proper investigation and resolution of any questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work. All individuals meeting all four criteria should be listed as authors.

• Contributors who are not authors (Acknowledgments): Individuals who have contributed to the research or manuscript but do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgments" section of the manuscript. Examples of contributions to be acknowledged include:

  • Obtaining funding.

  • General supervision of the research group or administrative support.

  • Assistance in writing, technical editing, language editing, and proofreading.

  • Data collection or participation in clinical research (as part of the team but without a substantial contribution to development, analysis, or interpretation).

  • Providing materials or study participants.

  • Other contributions that do not meet all authorship criteria. All individuals mentioned in the "Acknowledgments" section must give explicit consent to be mentioned. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining such consent.

• Order of Authors: The order of authors is determined jointly by all co-authors. The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics does not dictate the order of authorship. Authors should agree on the order before submitting the manuscript and be prepared to justify it if requested by the journal. The significance of the order (e.g., first author, last author) may vary depending on the discipline and research group and should be determined by the authors themselves.

• Corresponding Author: One author must be designated as the corresponding author. This person bears primary responsibility for communication with the journal during manuscript submission, review, and publication. The corresponding author is also generally responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all listed authors meet the Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics authorship criteria and approving the submission of the manuscript and any subsequent revisions.

  • Managing all communication between the journal and co-authors, keeping them informed of the manuscript's progress.

  • Ensuring the accuracy of all author details, their affiliations, and disclosures of conflicts of interest.

  • Responding to queries and critical comments post-publication.

• Authorship Changes: Any requests to add, remove, or change the order of authors after the initial submission of the manuscript must be submitted to the editor-in-chief by the corresponding author. The request should include:

  • A clear reason for the changes.

  • Written confirmation (e.g., email, letter) from all authors, including those being added or removed, agreeing to the proposed change. Authorship changes after the acceptance of the manuscript for publication are strongly discouraged and will only be considered in exceptional cases at the discretion of the editor-in-chief. If the change is approved after acceptance, a formal correction may be required.

• Contribution Statements (Author Contributions): The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics recommends that authors include an author contribution statement in their manuscripts, detailing each author's specific contribution to the research and manuscript preparation. This statement promotes transparency and ensures proper acknowledgment of each author's contribution. Journals may use the CRediT framework (author role taxonomy) for this purpose.

• Prohibition of Unethical Authorship Practices: The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics strictly prohibits gift, guest, honorary, and implicit authorship. All listed authors must meet the established authorship criteria. Any individual or organization providing assistance with writing or editing (e.g., professional writers, AI tools) who does not meet the authorship criteria must be properly acknowledged, including disclosure of any funding for such assistance.

• Group Authorship / Multicenter Studies: If the manuscript is submitted by a consortium or research group, the name of the group may be included in the list of authors. However, the Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics requires a clear list of individual members of the group who meet the authorship criteria. These individuals must be listed in the manuscript (e.g., as authors or in an appendix) and must jointly meet the requirements for authorship and accountability. The corresponding author must clearly indicate the group name and specify the group members responsible for the work overall.

4. Technical Aspects of Implementing and Materializing the Policy

• Authorship Statement Form: When submitting an article, the corresponding author must confirm that all listed authors meet the journal's criteria, that all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript, and that they agree to submit it to the Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics. This may be part of the submission process or a separate form. The journal may also require a statement detailing each author's contribution.

• Resolving Authorship Disputes:

  • Prevention: The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics strongly recommends that authorship issues, co-author roles, and author order be discussed and agreed upon by all members of the research group at the beginning of the research project and revisited as the project develops, especially when new participants are involved or roles change. Written documentation of these agreements is recommended.

  • Disputes before Publication: If an authorship dispute arises before the manuscript is published, the Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics generally does not act as an arbitrator. The journal asks authors to resolve the dispute independently or through their organizations. Processing of the manuscript may be delayed until the dispute is resolved.

  • Disputes after Publication: If the journal becomes aware of an unresolved authorship dispute or a justified suspicion of authorship misconduct (e.g., failure to include an author or invited author) after publication, the Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics investigates the matter according to COPE guidelines. This may involve contacting all affected authors for statements, contacting the authors' organizations for an investigation, and, if necessary, publishing a correction, expression of concern, or, in rare cases of proven misconduct, retracting the article.

• Guidance and Resources: Authors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with international authorship standards, such as COPE and ICMJE. The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics will provide links to these resources on its website.

• Institutional Policy: Authors must adhere to the authorship policies of their respective institutions and funding organizations.

• Accountability: All authors are responsible for the accuracy of the work presented in the manuscript. By submitting the manuscript, the authors collectively confirm their confidence in the accuracy and reliability of their co-authors' contributions.

This policy aims to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in authorship and participation matters. The Uzbek Journal of Modern Physics reserves the right to request additional information or clarifications from authors regarding authorship and participation at any stage of the manuscript submission or publication process.