Authorship and Author Contributions

Omni-Akuatika establishes authorship policies to ensure that every individual listed as an author has made a substantial scholarly contribution to the work and accepts responsibility for the integrity of the published research. These policies uphold the principles of academic integrity, transparency, accountability, and publication ethics and apply to all manuscripts submitted to Omni-Akuatika.

1. Authorship Criteria

Every individual listed as an author of an article published in Omni-Akuatika must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Make a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the study, the conduct of the research, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, or the development of the manuscript's scientific content.

  2. Participate in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.

  3. Approve the final version of the manuscript for submission and publication.

  4. Agree to be accountable for the integrity of the scholarly work and to help ensure that any concerns regarding its accuracy, validity, originality, or research ethics are appropriately addressed.

All criteria must be met by every individual listed as an author. Authorship must not be granted solely on the basis of position, academic rank, seniority, institutional affiliation, funding support, or administrative involvement in the research.

2. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the primary liaison between all authors and the editorial team of Omni-Akuatika throughout the submission, peer-review, revision, publication, and post-publication processes.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

  1. All authors meet the authorship criteria and have agreed to submit the manuscript to Omni-Akuatika.

  2. The names, affiliations, email addresses, author order, and other relevant authorship details are accurate and complete.

  3. The submitted manuscript is original and is not being considered for publication by another journal simultaneously.

  4. All editorial communications, revision requests, and decisions concerning the manuscript are communicated to the co-authors in a timely manner.

  5. All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript before publication.

  6. Author contribution statements, conflict-of-interest disclosures, funding acknowledgements, data availability statements, and research ethics declarations are accurately provided, as applicable to the study and required by the journal.

The corresponding author does not automatically have a greater scholarly contribution than the other authors. The appointment must be based on the agreement of all authors and the corresponding author's willingness to fulfill these responsibilities.

3. Author Order and Changes in Authorship

The order of authors must be determined by mutual agreement among all authors, taking into account their respective scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript preparation.

Any change to the author list, author order, or designation of the corresponding author after manuscript submission must meet the following requirements:

  1. The change must be supported by a clear and academically justifiable explanation.

  2. Written consent must be obtained from all authors listed before and after the proposed change, including any individuals being added or removed.

  3. The proposed change must be submitted to the editorial team of Omni-Akuatika for review and approval by the editor.

Authorship changes must not be made unilaterally. The editor reserves the right to request explanations or supporting documentation if discrepancies, disputes, or potential authorship misconduct are identified.

4. Unethical Authorship Practices

Omni-Akuatika does not permit authorship practices that violate the principles of academic integrity, including:

  • Gift authorship: Listing an individual as an author despite their failure to meet the authorship criteria.

  • Guest authorship: Listing an individual who does not meet the authorship criteria, for example, because of their position, reputation, seniority, or honorary status.

  • Ghost authorship: Excluding an individual who has made a substantial scholarly contribution and meets the authorship criteria without a justifiable reason.

  • Authorship without consent: Listing an individual as an author without their consent or without their approval of the final manuscript.

  • Misrepresentation of contributions: Inaccurately describing an individual's contribution or claiming roles that the individual did not perform.

Individuals who provide only technical or administrative assistance, facilities, general support, or funding, but do not meet all authorship criteria, should not be listed as authors. Their contributions may instead be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section, with their permission where appropriate.

5. Author Contributions Statement

Omni-Akuatika requires authors to provide a transparent and accurate statement describing each author's contribution. Authors may use the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to identify the respective roles of individuals involved in the research and manuscript preparation.

The applicable roles may include:

  • Conceptualization.

  • Methodology.

  • Software.

  • Validation.

  • Formal Analysis.

  • Investigation.

  • Resources.

  • Data Curation.

  • Writing – Original Draft.

  • Writing – Review & Editing.

  • Visualization.

  • Supervision.

  • Project Administration.

  • Funding Acquisition.

Authors must report only the roles they actually performed. Not every role is applicable to every article, and an individual author may have multiple roles.

The contribution statement may identify authors by their full names or clearly defined initials. All authors are responsible for ensuring that the statement accurately reflects their actual contributions.

The author contributions statement does not replace the requirement for every author to meet all authorship criteria, approve the final manuscript, and accept responsibility for the integrity of the published work.

6. Author Responsibilities and Compliance with Publication Ethics

All authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts submitted to Omni-Akuatika comply with the principles of research and publication ethics. Authors must ensure that:

  1. The manuscript presents original scholarly work and contains no plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, misleading image manipulation, or other forms of academic misconduct.

  2. Research data, methods, results, and interpretations are reported honestly, accurately, and responsibly.

  3. The manuscript is not simultaneously submitted to or under consideration by another journal.

  4. All sources, references, data, images, tables, instruments, and third-party materials used in the manuscript are properly acknowledged or cited in accordance with applicable requirements.

  5. Potential conflicts of interest and all relevant sources of funding are appropriately disclosed.

  6. Research involving human participants, animals, or personal data complies with applicable ethical approval, informed consent, and other relevant requirements, as appropriate to the nature of the study.

  7. Data and research materials availability is transparently described in accordance with the journal's policies, while respecting confidentiality, data protection, and legitimate access restrictions.

  8. The use of software, artificial intelligence technologies, or other research assistance tools is disclosed when relevant to the research methods and required by the journal's policies.

  9. Any substantial error identified after publication is promptly reported to the editor and addressed through the appropriate correction procedures.

All authors must cooperate with the editor when clarification, supporting evidence, or explanations concerning authorship, data, methods, or research ethics are requested.

7. Handling Allegations of Authorship Misconduct

Omni-Akuatika reserves the right to request clarification, supporting documentation, or other relevant evidence when potential violations of authorship criteria or disputes among authors are identified.

Allegations will be handled objectively, fairly, and confidentially, taking into account the available evidence, responses from the parties concerned, and applicable principles of publication ethics.

Where necessary, the editor may request written statements, evidence of individual contributions, or confirmation from the relevant institution. If an authorship dispute cannot be resolved through editorial communication, the journal may request assistance from the appropriate parties or institutions.

Depending on the findings, the stage of publication, and the severity of the violation, Omni-Akuatika may take appropriate action, including requesting clarification or correction of the author list, suspending the editorial process, rejecting the manuscript, or issuing a correction or retraction for a published article, in accordance with the journal's policies and publication ethics principles.

8. Authorship Compliance Statement

By submitting a manuscript to Omni-Akuatika, the authors confirm that the authorship information provided is accurate, that all authors have approved the submission and the order of authorship, and that each individual's contribution has been honestly reported.

All authors also agree to accept responsibility for the integrity and scholarly content of the article, provide clarification when required, and comply with Omni-Akuatika's publication ethics policies.

Omni-Akuatika is committed to safeguarding authorship integrity, promoting transparency in scholarly contributions, and ensuring that every published article meets appropriate standards of publication ethics and accountability.