The Employee Relations Law Journal (Empl. Relat. Law J.) recognizes authorship as an important form of academic credit and responsibility. The journal follows the authorship and contributorship principles outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and relevant publication-ethics guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The current ICMJE Recommendations were updated in January 2026.

Authorship Criteria

An individual should be listed as an author only when they have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work and meet all four of the following criteria:

1. Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
2. Drafted the work or critically reviewed it for important intellectual content.
3. Provided final approval of the version to be published.
4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions relating to its accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals who meet these criteria should be identified as authors, and individuals who do not meet all four criteria should not be listed as authors.

Author Responsibilities

All listed authors are collectively responsible for the integrity of the work and individually responsible for their respective contributions. Each author should have sufficient knowledge of the manuscript to identify the contributions of other authors and should have confidence in the integrity of those contributions.

Before submission, all authors should review and approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission and publication. The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the Editorial Office and ensuring that all authors have approved the submitted version.

Contributorship

The journal encourages authors to provide a clear description of each contributor's role. Contributions may include, where applicable:

• Conceptualization and study design
• Methodology
• Data collection or acquisition
• Data analysis and interpretation
• Legal or scholarly analysis
• Manuscript drafting
• Critical review and revision
• Supervision
• Project administration
• Other substantial intellectual contributions

Providing a contributorship statement promotes transparency and clarifies the specific responsibilities of each person involved in the work. ICMJE strongly encourages journals to develop and implement contributorship policies.

Non-Author Contributors

Individuals who contribute to a manuscript but do not meet all four authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. Where appropriate, their contributions should be acknowledged.

Examples may include individuals who provide general administrative support, technical assistance, language editing, proofreading, or other contributions that do not independently meet the authorship criteria.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the authors and the Editorial Office. The corresponding author should ensure that:

• All listed authors have approved the manuscript.
• Author information is complete and accurate.
• Author contributions are appropriately reported.
• Relevant ethical declarations and conflict-of-interest statements are provided.
• The manuscript is submitted in accordance with the journal's requirements.
• All authors are informed about significant editorial communications and decisions.

Author Order

The order in which authors appear in the manuscript should be determined collectively by the authors before submission. The journal does not normally determine author order or arbitrate disagreements regarding the relative contributions of authors.

Changes in Authorship

Any request to add, remove, or change the order of authors after submission must be accompanied by a clear explanation and appropriate agreement from all affected authors.

The Editorial Office may request written confirmation from all listed authors and any author being added or removed before approving an authorship change. Changes after publication will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures.

Authorship Disputes

The journal does not normally adjudicate disputes concerning authorship or the order of authors. Where authors cannot reach an agreement, the matter may be referred to the relevant institution or organization where the research was conducted for investigation.

The journal may pause editorial processing or publication while a significant authorship dispute is being appropriately addressed.

Guest, Gift, and Ghost Authorship

The journal does not permit:

• Guest authorship: listing an individual as an author despite insufficient contribution.
• Gift or honorary authorship: granting authorship based solely on position, seniority, reputation, supervision, or personal relationship.
• Ghost authorship: excluding an individual who made substantial contributions that meet the journal's authorship criteria.

All authorship information must accurately reflect the contributions made to the work.

Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI systems, do not qualify for authorship. Such tools cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, or originality of published work.

Where AI-assisted technology has been used in preparing a manuscript, authors should follow the journal's applicable AI policy and disclose its use where required. Human authors remain responsible for the content, accuracy, integrity, and final approval of the manuscript.

Accountability and Publication Integrity

Authors must cooperate with reasonable requests from the Editorial Office concerning authorship, contributions, supporting information, corrections, or investigations of potential misconduct.

Where credible concerns arise regarding false authorship information, inappropriate attribution, undisclosed contributors, or other authorship-related misconduct, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with its publication ethics policies and relevant COPE guidance.