Authorship Policy

Authorship should be limited to those individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research work. To qualify for authorship, each contributor must meet all of the following criteria:

• Made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study.
• Participated in drafting, reviewing, or revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content.
• Approved the final version of the manuscript prior to submission.
• Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work and ensure its accuracy and integrity.

Order of Authors

The order of authorship should be determined collectively by all co-authors before manuscript submission. The Journal of Pure and Applied Agriculture does not arbitrate disputes regarding authorship order. Any changes in the author list (addition, removal, or rearrangement) after submission must be approved by all co-authors and justified to the editorial office.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the manuscript and are aware of its submission. They serve as the primary contact during submission, peer review, and publication processes and are responsible for responding to editorial queries.

Author Contribution Statement

Authors are encouraged to provide an author contribution statement during submission, outlining each author’s role in the research and writing process (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, data analysis, writing, supervision). This improves transparency and accountability.

Changes to Authorship

Requests to change authorship (additions, deletions, or order changes) after manuscript submission must be accompanied by a letter signed by all authors, including the individual being added or removed, providing reasons for the change.

Guest, Ghost, and Gift Authorship

The Journal of Pure and Applied Agriculture strongly discourages unethical authorship practices such as:

• Guest authorship – including individuals who did not contribute meaningfully.
• Ghost authorship – excluding individuals who made significant contributions.
• Gift authorship – offering authorship as a courtesy or in return for favors.

Such practices are considered breaches of publication ethics and may result in manuscript rejection or retraction.

Disputes and Misconduct

In the event of an authorship dispute, the journal will follow the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and may refer the matter to the authors’ affiliated institutions for investigation.