Authorship Criteria

Authorship Criteria

Fortunate Business Review (FBR) is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and accountability in the attribution of authorship. Authorship must reflect genuine intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript rather than institutional position, academic seniority, funding, or other non-substantive considerations. This policy is informed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), particularly its Discussion Document on Authorship.

1. Eligibility for Authorship

Individuals may be listed as authors of manuscripts submitted to Fortunate Business Review only when they have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. Authors must be able to explain their respective contributions and accept responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of their work.

Qualifying contributions may include:

  • Conceptualization: Developing research questions, objectives, hypotheses, theoretical frameworks, or central research ideas.
  • Methodology: Making substantial contributions to the development or selection of research methods, analytical frameworks, statistical models, or research designs.
  • Investigation and Data Analysis: Contributing substantially to data collection, data management, statistical analysis, or the interpretation of empirical evidence.
  • Interpretation of Findings: Contributing to the interpretation of results and the development of theoretical, managerial, practical, or policy implications.
  • Writing and Critical Revision: Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it to improve its intellectual content.

These contributions are considered when assessing an individual's eligibility for authorship. Routine assistance or participation in a single activity does not automatically qualify an individual for authorship.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

All individuals listed as authors are expected to:

  1. Make genuine and substantial intellectual contributions to the research or manuscript.
  2. Participate in drafting or critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content.
  3. Review and approve the final version of the manuscript before submission or publication.
  4. Accept responsibility for their contributions and cooperate in resolving concerns regarding research accuracy and integrity.
  5. Ensure that all individuals who qualify for authorship are appropriately credited.
  6. Disclose relevant conflicts of interest and ensure the accuracy of information concerning funding, research data, and methodology.
  7. Provide clarification or supporting documentation when requested by the editorial team.

3. Contributions That Do Not Qualify for Authorship

Contributions that do not demonstrate substantial intellectual involvement are generally insufficient to establish authorship eligibility. These may include:

  • Providing funding or financial support without qualifying intellectual contributions.
  • Holding an academic, institutional, managerial, or supervisory position.
  • Providing routine administrative assistance or project coordination.
  • Performing routine data entry, transcription, or technical assistance without substantial intellectual involvement.
  • Providing language editing, translation, proofreading, or manuscript formatting without contributing to its intellectual content.
  • Providing general supervision or mentorship without qualifying scholarly contributions.
  • Offering comments or suggestions that do not substantially develop the manuscript's intellectual content.

Individuals whose contributions do not meet the authorship criteria may be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section with their permission.

4. Authorship Order

The order of authors must be determined by mutual agreement among all authors, considering the nature and extent of their scholarly contributions.

Authorship order must not be determined solely by academic rank, institutional seniority, supervisory position, financial contribution, or personal relationships.

All authors must agree on the authorship order before submission. In collaborative research, authors are encouraged to establish authorship arrangements early in the research process and review them when contributions change.

5. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the authors and Fortunate Business Review throughout manuscript submission, peer review, revision, and publication.

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  1. Ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript.
  2. Confirming that all authors agree to the submission and authorship order.
  3. Providing accurate author names, affiliations, contact information, and contribution statements.
  4. Communicating editorial decisions and revision requests to all co-authors.
  5. Submitting authorship declarations or supporting documentation when requested.
  6. Informing the editorial office of any proposed authorship changes.
  7. Facilitating communication among co-authors regarding contributions or research integrity.

The corresponding author must not add, remove, or rearrange authors without following the journal's procedures and obtaining the necessary consent.

6. Author Contributions Statement

All submissions must include an Author Contributions Statement accurately describing each author's contributions to the research and manuscript.

Authors may use the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), including:

  • Conceptualization
  • Methodology
  • Formal Analysis
  • Investigation
  • Data Curation
  • Writing – Original Draft
  • Writing – Review & Editing
  • Visualization
  • Supervision
  • Project Administration
  • Funding Acquisition

Only roles that accurately reflect the work performed should be declared. A contribution label alone does not automatically establish eligibility for authorship.

Contributions from individuals who do not qualify for authorship may be described separately in the Acknowledgments section with their permission.

7. Changes in Authorship

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be submitted in writing to the editorial office.

The request must include a clear justification and written agreement from all authors, including individuals being added or removed.

The editorial team may request additional information or documentation and suspend editorial processing while the request is assessed.

Authorship changes will be considered only when the justification and required approvals are satisfactory and comply with the journal's publication ethics policy.

Requests submitted after publication will be handled in accordance with the journal's correction policy and relevant COPE guidelines.

8. Guest, Gift, and Ghost Authorship

Fortunate Business Review does not accept guest authorship, gift authorship, or ghost authorship.

  • Guest or Gift Authorship: Listing individuals as authors without qualifying scholarly contributions.
  • Ghost Authorship: Omitting individuals who have made contributions that qualify them for authorship.
  • Inappropriate Authorship Attribution: Excluding eligible contributors, misrepresenting contributions, or including individuals without their knowledge or consent.

All authorship information must accurately reflect contributions to the research and manuscript. Academic positions, funding, supervision, or institutional authority cannot replace qualifying intellectual contributions.

9. Authorship Disputes and Ethical Concerns

Authorship disputes should, whenever possible, be resolved through constructive communication among the individuals involved and their affiliated institutions.

When authorship concerns arise, the editorial team may request written explanations, contribution statements, or other relevant documentation. Editorial processing may be suspended while the matter is investigated.

If a dispute cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or follow appropriate publication ethics procedures.

Suspected authorship misconduct will be handled in accordance with the editorial policies of Fortunate Business Review and applicable COPE guidelines.

10. Declaration of Authorship

By submitting a manuscript to Fortunate Business Review (FBR), the corresponding author confirms, on behalf of all authors, that:

  1. All listed authors have made genuine contributions consistent with the journal's authorship criteria.
  2. All authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript and agreed to its submission.
  3. The order of authorship has been agreed upon by all authors.
  4. No individual who qualifies for authorship has been improperly omitted.
  5. No individual has been included without qualifying contributions and consent.
  6. The Author Contributions Statement accurately reflects each author's contributions.
  7. All authors agree to cooperate in resolving questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the research.

Fortunate Business Review may request additional information or documentation to verify authorship declarations and ensure compliance with publication ethics.

This policy is consistent with COPE recommendations concerning transparency in authorship, contributor accountability, and research integrity.