Authorship Criteria

The Journal of Commerce, Management, and Tourism Studies (JCMTS) recognizes authorship as an important academic responsibility that reflects meaningful contributions to the development, execution, analysis, and presentation of scholarly research. All individuals listed as authors of a manuscript must have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and must be able to take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of their work.

To ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical research practices, JCMTS encourages authors to follow internationally recognized principles of authorship and publication ethics. Authorship should be based on actual scholarly contributions rather than professional position, seniority, institutional affiliation, or personal relationships.

1. Eligibility for Authorship

Individuals may be listed as authors if they have made substantial contributions to one or more of the following aspects of the research:

Research conception and design: Developing the research idea, formulating research questions, establishing objectives, or designing the research methodology.
Data collection and investigation: Conducting fieldwork, surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, or other systematic research activities.
Data analysis and interpretation: Analyzing research data, interpreting findings, applying appropriate analytical methods, or developing theoretical explanations.
Manuscript preparation: Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it to improve its intellectual content, scholarly quality, and clarity.
Final approval: Reviewing and approving the final version of the manuscript before submission or publication.
Accountability: Agreeing to take responsibility for the author's own contributions and to cooperate in resolving questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, or ethical conduct of the research.

All listed authors should satisfy the applicable authorship requirements and be able to identify their individual contributions to the manuscript.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts represent original and properly conducted research. They must provide accurate information, acknowledge the contributions of others, cite relevant sources appropriately, and avoid plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, and other forms of research misconduct.

Authors must also ensure that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal, except where an explicitly permitted publication arrangement applies. Any necessary ethical approval, informed consent, funding information, conflicts of interest, and relevant data availability statements should be disclosed in accordance with the journal's policies and the nature of the research.

Each author should review the manuscript carefully before submission and confirm that the work complies with applicable ethical standards, research regulations, and the journal's author guidelines.

3. Order of Authorship

The order of authors should be determined collectively by the authors before manuscript submission, based on the relative contributions of each individual to the research and manuscript preparation. The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the editorial office on behalf of the author group and ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.

JCMTS encourages authors to discuss authorship roles and responsibilities at the beginning of their collaboration to minimize misunderstandings and prevent disputes. Any changes to the author list, including additions, removals, or changes in author order after submission, must be justified and approved by all affected authors, subject to editorial review and the journal's publication policies.

4. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the author group and the journal throughout the submission, review, revision, and publication processes. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission to JCMTS.

The corresponding author is also responsible for providing complete and accurate submission information, responding to editorial and reviewer comments in consultation with co-authors, communicating publication decisions to the author group, and ensuring that all required declarations and supporting documents are submitted.

5. Contributors Who Do Not Qualify for Authorship

Individuals who provide limited or technical assistance but do not meet the authorship criteria should not automatically be listed as authors. Examples may include individuals who provide administrative support, routine data collection assistance, language editing, proofreading, or general supervision without making a substantial intellectual contribution to the research.

Such contributions should be appropriately acknowledged in the manuscript, with the permission of the individuals concerned. Acknowledgment should not replace authorship when a contributor has made a qualifying intellectual contribution and meets the applicable authorship requirements.

6. Changes in Authorship

Any proposed change in authorship after manuscript submission must be communicated to the editorial office with a clear explanation of the reason for the change. Written agreement from all existing authors and any individuals being added or removed may be required before the change is considered.

The editorial team reserves the right to review authorship changes in accordance with the journal's policies and publication ethics standards. Disputes concerning authorship should be addressed transparently by the individuals involved and, where necessary, referred to their affiliated institutions for resolution.

7. Authorship Ethics and Academic Integrity

JCMTS does not accept guest authorship, gift authorship, honorary authorship, or ghost authorship. Individuals should not be included as authors solely because of their academic position, institutional authority, financial support, or supervisory role. Similarly, individuals who have made substantial qualifying contributions should not be excluded from authorship without appropriate justification.

All authors are expected to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, fairness, and accountability throughout the research and publication process. Suspected violations of authorship standards may be investigated by the editorial team in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence in Manuscript Preparation

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used to assist with activities such as language improvement, grammar checking, formatting, or preliminary data organization, provided that their use complies with the journal's policies and applicable ethical standards. AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of scholarly work.

Authors remain fully responsible for verifying all information, references, analyses, and conclusions contained in their manuscripts. Any use of AI that materially contributes to manuscript preparation, research analysis, or content generation should be disclosed when required by the journal's AI policy. Authors must ensure that AI-assisted work does not introduce fabricated references, inaccurate information, plagiarism, or violations of confidentiality.

9. Editorial Review and Compliance

The editorial team of JCMTS may request clarification regarding authorship, individual contributions, ethical declarations, or the originality of a submitted manuscript whenever necessary. Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's authorship criteria or ethical requirements may be returned for clarification, held during an investigation, or rejected in accordance with the journal's policies.

By submitting a manuscript to JCMTS, authors confirm that the information concerning authorship is accurate, that all listed authors meet the applicable criteria, and that all authors have approved the final manuscript and agreed to its submission. The journal seeks to maintain a transparent, responsible, and ethically sound publication process that protects the integrity of scholarly communication.

Through these authorship criteria, the Journal of Commerce, Management, and Tourism Studies (JCMTS) aims to promote responsible collaboration, recognize legitimate scholarly contributions, and uphold high standards of academic integrity in commerce, management, tourism, and related fields.

Authorship Criteria