Authorship Criteria

FaST - Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi implements an authorship and contribution policy to ensure that every individual listed as an author has provided a genuine, demonstrable, and accountable contribution to the research and the published article.

Authorship not only confers credit for a work but also carries responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, transparency, and accountability of the published paper. This policy is formulated in accordance with the COPE Discussion Document: Authorship and international standards of transparency in scientific publishing.

 

Authorship Criteria

An individual must meet all four of the following criteria to be listed as an author:

  1. Substantive Contribution: Made a significant contribution to the conceptualization, design, experimental or theoretical execution, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation of results, development of methodologies/products, or other major intellectual aspects of the research reported.
  2. Drafting and Intellectual Revision: Participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
  3. Final Approval: Read and gave explicit approval for the final version of the manuscript to be submitted and published.
  4. Accountability: Agreed to be accountable for their contributions and to cooperate in answering any queries or investigations regarding the accuracy, integrity, authorship, or ethical aspects of the work.

All individuals who meet these criteria must be listed as authors and should not be omitted. Conversely, individuals who do not meet all four criteria must not be listed as authors.

 

Author Identity and Affiliations

The name, affiliation, and contact information of each author must be accurate, valid, included with their knowledge and consent, and verifiable upon request.

  • The inclusion of an individual's name without their consent, the use of fictitious identities, identity theft/impersonation, or false/misleading affiliations is strictly prohibited.
  • Author names and affiliations in the manuscript must be consistent with the metadata entered into the Open Journal Systems (OJS). Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of authorship metadata prior to publication.

 

Author Contribution Statement

Every published article must include an Author Contribution Statement in a clearly visible section of the paper (e.g., before the Reference section).

This statement must explicitly describe the contribution of each author to the research project and manuscript preparation. According to the nature of the study, contributions may include conceptualization, methodology, software/tool development, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing, visualization, supervision, project administration, or funding acquisition.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to request clarification or supporting evidence regarding individual author contributions if ambiguities, discrepancies, or authorship concerns arise.

 

Author Order

The sequence of author names should be a joint decision agreed upon by all authors, taking into account individual contributions and standard conventions within the relevant scientific discipline.

FaST does not prescribe who should be designated as the first, second, or corresponding author. All authors share responsibility for agreeing on the order of authorship before manuscript submission. Authorship order must not be used to grant unearned recognition to individuals who do not meet authorship criteria or to deny recognition to those who contributed substantively.

 

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the primary liaison between all co-authors and the Editorial Team during submission, peer review, revision, copyediting, publication, and post-publication communications.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  1. Ensuring that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria.
  2. Confirming that all authors are aware of and consent to the manuscript submission.
  3. Verifying that author names, order, affiliations, and contact details are accurately provided.
  4. Ensuring all co-authors review and approve substantive revisions and the final publication proof.
  5. Relay editorial communications to all co-authors in a timely manner.
  6. Promptly notifying the Editorial Team of any disputes, changes, or issues regarding authorship.

Note: Designation as the corresponding author does not automatically imply primary authorship or largest quantitative contribution to the research.

 

Non-Author Contributors (Acknowledgements)

Contributions that consist solely of funding acquisition, general administrative support, provision of lab space/equipment access, general supervision, technical assistance, structural/institutional authority, or other auxiliary support do not justify authorship.

Contributors who do not meet the full authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section, detailing the nature of their contribution. Inclusion of individuals in the Acknowledgements section must be done with their knowledge or consent, particularly if the acknowledgment implies endorsement of the research.

 

Unacceptable Authorship Practices

FaST strictly prohibits fraudulent, misleading, or irresponsible authorship practices, including:

  • Gift Authorship: Including an individual who has made no significant contribution, out of respect, friendship, institutional obligation, or professional courtesy.
  • Guest Authorship: Including a well-known figure to elevate the perceived credibility or acceptance chances of the paper without their meeting authorship criteria.
  • Ghost Authorship: Omitting an individual who made a substantive intellectual contribution and meets the authorship criteria.
  • Unauthorized Authorship: Listing an author without their knowledge or consent.
  • Fictitious Identities: Using fake names or usurping another person's identity.
  • Outsourcing/Paper Mill Activity: Hiring third parties to generate research or write manuscripts that are subsequently claimed without genuine intellectual contribution.
  • Manipulative Authorship Additions: Adding authors solely to influence editorial decisions, fulfill institutional metrics, or gain illegitimate academic advantage.

If the Editorial Team identifies potential authorship misconduct, the review process will be suspended pending clarification. Investigation of authorship issues follows COPE Guidelines: How to Recognise Potential Authorship Problems.

 

Changes to Authorship

Any request to add, remove, or reorder author names, or to change the corresponding author after submission must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Team through the corresponding author.

Requests for authorship changes must include:

  1. A clear, valid reason for the proposed change.
  2. An explanation of the contribution of newly added authors or the justification for author removal.
  3. Written consent (signatures) from all originally listed authors.
  4. Written consent from the individual being added or removed, if applicable.
  5. Any additional verification details requested by the Editorial Board.

Editorial processing will be paused until the requested change is fully verified. Authorship changes will not be granted based on unilateral requests.

Adding authors after a manuscript has been accepted is strictly prohibited unless exceptional, fully documented justifications are provided and approved through rigorous editorial review (aligned with COPE: Handling Changes to Authorship Lists).

If authorship changes are necessary post-publication, changes will not be made covertly. Approved changes will be transparently documented via a formal Correction notice in accordance with FaST’s Retraction & Correction Policy.

 

Authorship Disputes

In the event of a dispute among authors regarding authorship eligibility, sequence, or contribution credit, the Editorial Team will request written statements and relevant documentation from all parties.

The Editorial Board does not act as an arbiter in internal disputes that involve employment contracts, data ownership, or institutional authority that cannot be independently verified by the journal. If a dispute cannot be resolved through author consensus, editorial processing may be suspended, and the matter referred to the authors' home institution(s) or relevant governing bodies for formal investigation.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Authorship

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, including Generative AI and large language models (LLMs), cannot be credited as authors or co-authors because they cannot accept legal responsibility, provide consent, or be held accountable for the integrity of the published work.

All responsibility for manuscript content rests solely with human authors. The use of AI tools must be transparently disclosed in accordance with FaST’s Policy on Generative AI, stating the specific tool used and the nature of its application (e.g., language editing and clarity improvement). This clause is aligned with the COPE Position Statement: Authorship and AI Tools.

 

Author Responsibility and Declarations

By submitting a manuscript to FaST - Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi, all authors implicitly declare that:

  • The author list is accurate and complete.
  • Every listed author meets the required authorship criteria.
  • No qualifying contributors have been deliberately omitted.
  • No individual has been listed without an accountable, substantive contribution.

Authors are required to cooperate fully with the Editorial Team during any inquiry regarding author identity, contribution details, or suspected authorship violations. Violations of this policy may result in editorial suspension, manuscript rejection, publication of a formal retraction/correction, or further administrative action per FaST Publication Ethics.