The Pakistan Journal of Nutrition (PJN) recognizes authorship as both academic credit and responsibility for published work. The journal expects all listed authors to have made meaningful intellectual contributions to the research and to accept accountability for their contributions and for the integrity of the published work.

Authorship Criteria

PJN follows the authorship principles of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To qualify as an author, an individual should meet all of the following criteria:

1. Make a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work; or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
2. Participate in drafting the manuscript or critically reviewing it for important intellectual content;
3. Approve the final version of the manuscript to be published; and
4. Agree to be accountable for the work and to cooperate in resolving questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work.

All individuals who meet these criteria should be listed as authors. Individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged for their contributions where appropriate.

Author Contributions

Authors should clearly describe their individual contributions to the research and manuscript. Contributions may include study conception and design, methodology, investigation, data collection, laboratory analysis, statistical analysis, data interpretation, preparation of the original draft, critical review and editing, supervision, project administration, and other substantial scholarly contributions.

For research involving nutrition, dietary interventions, food products, functional foods, supplements, clinical or community-based studies, authors should ensure that individuals responsible for important aspects of study design, data collection, laboratory work, analysis, and interpretation are appropriately credited according to their actual contributions.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal during submission, peer review, publication, and, where necessary, after publication. The corresponding author should ensure that all authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript, that the author list and author information are accurate, and that required declarations and information relating to ethics approval, informed consent, conflicts of interest, funding, and other applicable requirements have been properly provided.

Author Order

The order of authors should be determined collectively by the authors according to their contributions and relevant disciplinary practices. The journal does not determine the order of authors and will not normally arbitrate disputes concerning author order.

Non-Author Contributors and Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be identified in the Acknowledgments section. Examples may include individuals who provided technical assistance, language editing, administrative support, general supervision, or other assistance that does not by itself qualify for authorship.

Where an individual is named in the Acknowledgments section, the authors should obtain appropriate permission from that individual where necessary.

Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be accompanied by a clear explanation for the proposed change. The journal may require written agreement from all authors, including any author being added or removed.

Requests for authorship changes after publication will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and may require a formal correction or other appropriate editorial action.

Authorship Disputes

Authors are responsible for resolving authorship and contributorship disputes among themselves. When a dispute cannot be resolved, the journal may request that the relevant institution or institutions investigate and resolve the matter. The journal may suspend editorial consideration of the manuscript until the dispute has been resolved.

Guest, Gift and Ghost Authorship

Guest, honorary, gift, and ghost authorship are not acceptable. Individuals must not be listed as authors solely because of their position, seniority, provision of funding, general supervision, or institutional affiliation. Similarly, individuals who have made contributions that qualify them for authorship should not be intentionally omitted from the author list.

Responsibility and Accountability

Each author is responsible for the integrity of their own contribution and should be able to identify the contributions of their co-authors. All authors are expected to cooperate with the journal if questions concerning authorship, data, accuracy, research integrity, or other aspects of the published work arise before or after publication.

Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence tools, large language models, chatbots, and similar technologies cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for published work. Any use of artificial intelligence in manuscript preparation or research must comply with the journal's Artificial Intelligence Policy and should be disclosed where required.