Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All individuals listed as authors must have made a meaningful intellectual contribution to the work. JECS follows the authorship and contributorship guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The order of authors should reflect their relative contributions to the work. All authors must agree on the author order before submission. Any disputes regarding author order should be resolved among the authors prior to submission.

One author must be designated as the corresponding author, who is responsible for all communication with the journal during submission, peer review, and post-publication stages. The corresponding author ensures that all co-authors are informed of the journal's policies and have approved the final version of the manuscript.

Any changes to authorship after submission — including additions, deletions, or reordering — must be approved by all authors and the Editor-in-Chief. Such requests must be submitted in writing to the editorial office and will be carefully reviewed in accordance with COPE guidelines on authorship changes. No changes can be made after the manuscript has been accepted for publication without compelling justification.

Ghost authorship (omitting individuals who made substantial contributions) and guest or honorary authorship (including individuals who did not contribute meaningfully) are strictly prohibited and considered a form of research misconduct. AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar cannot be listed as authors, in line with JECS's Generative AI Use Policy.

Authors are encouraged to specify each author's individual contribution to the work upon submission. This promotes transparency and recognition of individual contributions. A contributorship statement may be included in the manuscript, typically in the Acknowledgments section or as a separate note.

• Ensure all authors meet the authorship criteria
• Agree on author order before submission
• Obtain approval from all authors for any changes
• Specify individual contributions where possible
• Declare any use of AI tools as per AI policy
• Ensure no ghost, guest, or honorary authorship