Authorship Criteria

Transparan! considers authorship to represent both recognition of scholarly contributions and responsibility for the published work. All listed authors must meet the following criteria:

  1. Make a substantial contribution to the research concept or design, or to the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data.

  2. Write the manuscript or critically revise its intellectual content.

  3. Approve the final version for publication.

  4. Accept accountability for the work and cooperate in resolving concerns about its accuracy or integrity.

Everyone who meets all four criteria must be included as an author. Contributors who satisfy the first criterion should have the opportunity to participate in manuscript revision and final approval.

Contributors and Acknowledgments

Contributors who do not meet all authorship criteria should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section, with their permission. Funding, general supervision, administrative support, proofreading, or language editing alone does not qualify an individual for authorship.

Author Contributions and Order

Authors must provide a contribution statement describing each author’s role. The author group must agree on the author list and its order before submission. Gift, guest, honorary, and ghost authorship are not permitted.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author manages communication with the journal, ensures that all authors approve the submission and subsequent revisions, and coordinates responses to editorial questions before and after publication.

Changes to Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must include an explanation and written agreement from all affected authors, including anyone being added or removed. Changes require editorial approval. Changes after publication will be addressed through an appropriate correction when justified.

Authorship Disputes

Authors should resolve disagreements within their author group. Unresolved disputes may be referred to the relevant institution, and manuscript processing may be suspended pending resolution. Editors do not determine authorship entitlement.

Artificial Intelligence Tools

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, references, and integrity of their manuscript and must disclose substantive AI assistance, including the tool used and its purpose.