Authorship confers credit and carries accountability. Oxton Science Journal applies the authorship criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Authorship Criteria

An author is someone who meets all four of the following criteria:

1. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data;
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically 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 that questions about accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Contributors who do not meet all four criteria should be named in the Acknowledgements (e.g., funding acquisition only, general supervision, technical or writing assistance) with their permission.

Contributorship Statement (CRediT)

A CRediT-style contribution statement is mandatory, specifying each author's role (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, investigation, formal analysis, writing — original draft, writing — review & editing, supervision).

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal, ensures all authors meet the criteria and approve the submission, and manages declarations and post-publication queries.

Changes in Authorship

Any addition, removal or reordering of authors after submission requires the written agreement of all authors and editorial approval, with justification. Requests after acceptance are exceptional and scrutinized.

AI and Authorship

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Any assistive use of AI must be disclosed under the AI Use Policy.