The Pakistan Journal of Chemistry advocates for authenticity and transparency in authorship for publication. The authorship policy ensures that all contributors receive proper credit for their work and take responsibility for the final publication. Contributors must be clearly designated as either named authors, listed in the byline with their roles specified, or as contributors acknowledged for their support. 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 is necessary to ensure the manuscript’s validity before processing it for publication in the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry. Furthermore, all authors are required to approve both the submitted and accepted versions of the manuscript. 

Author Contribution

The contributions of all authors must be listed at the time of submission, as the level of contributions will be published in the final Article. Pakistan Journal of Chemistry 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

The Pakistan Journal of Chemistry promotes transparency by publishing author contribution statements. Authors must include a responsibility statement in the cover letter and their manuscript detailing each Author’s contributions. The required level of detail may vary by field, with some disciplines outlining distinct individual efforts and others reflecting group collaboration at all stages.

Corresponding Author

The Pakistan Journal of Chemistry 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, before 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 accountable for validating the publishing agreement on behalf of all the listed authors.

Acknowledgment

To acknowledge the contributions of individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria, the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry allows their recognition in the manuscript’s acknowledgments section, provided that they give their consent. These contributions may include places of work like a Department, University, City, Country research institutions or, technical assistance, or financial/material support. Still, it is essential to note that 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 they can still be acknowledged in the manuscript’s acknowledgments section.

Financial Disclosures and Declarations

In line with the authorship policy of the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry, authors must disclose all sources of funding or financial support in the acknowledgments section, even if no specific funding was received. Authors must also specify the role of the research funder beyond financial support, such as the involvement of commercial organizations, at the time of manuscript submission. Any other sources of support, including funding for open-access publication, writing or editorial assistance, or the provision of experimental materials, should be clearly described.

Author Identification

To ensure accurate attribution and verification of author identity, the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry requires authors to provide their ORCID ID before publication. This requirement applies to both the corresponding author and the author who submitted the manuscript.

Changes in Authorship

At submission, authors must ensure the accuracy of the author list, Corresponding Author, and co-author order. Any changes to the authorship, like adding, removing, or reordering authors, require approval from all authors. After manuscript acceptance, changes in authorship are strictly prohibited. Author names will be published accurately as submitted, so authors should verify the correct spelling, addresses, and affiliations. Generally, adding or removing authors during revisions is not allowed, except in exceptional cases with a valid reason. The Editor-in-Chief has the final decision on such requests, though individual journals may have specific policies on this matter.

Author identification

Publishers often require authors to provide their Author ORCID ID before publishing a manuscript to ensure the Author’s identity is verified and their work is correctly attributed. Therefore, as per policy, the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry requires the ORCID  ID of both the corresponding Author and the Author who submitted the manuscript before publication.

Confidentiality

Authors are expected to maintain strict confidentiality concerning all communication exchanged with the Journal, including any correspondence with the Editors-in-Chief and/or Handling Editors and the reviewers’ reports, unless apparent 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 related to the authorship, which may include instances of ghost authorship or gift authorship, based on the protocols established by the Committee on Publication Ethics.
It is compulsory for all authors, even those collaborating on multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary projects, to sustain the precision and credibility of all elements of the submitted material. Any changes to authorship, including additions, deletions, reordering, or revisions to contributions, require prior consent from all listed authors.