1. General Principles
The Earth Systems and Soil Research Group (ESSRG) recognizes authorship as a core element of research integrity. Authorship must reflect actual contributions to research design, execution, and dissemination.
2. Authorship Criteria
An individual qualifies as an author if they have made substantial contributions to:
- research conception or study design
- methodology development
- data collection, analysis, or interpretation
- drafting or critically revising the manuscript
3. Unacceptable Practices
ESSRG does not permit:
- guest authorship (including individuals without contribution)
- honorary or gift authorship
- omission of contributors who meet authorship criteria
4. Determining Author Order
Author order is based on the level of contribution to the research. The first author is typically the primary contributor, though final order must be agreed upon by all collaborators.
5. Author Responsibility
Each author is responsible for the integrity of the part of the work they contributed to, as well as the overall scientific reliability of the publication.
6. Acknowledgements
Individuals who contributed indirectly (technical support, advice, funding) but do not meet authorship criteria should be recognized in the acknowledgements section.
7. Conflict of Interest
All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research outcomes or interpretation.