AUTHORSHIP

The African Journal of Business, Management and Social Sciences (AJBMSA) is committed to ensuring that authorship accurately reflects the contributions of individuals involved in the research and preparation of a manuscript.

Authorship Criteria

Only individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the work should be listed as authors. To qualify for authorship, contributors should have participated in one or more of the following:

  • Conceiving or designing the study.
  • Collecting, analysing, or interpreting data.
  • Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
  • Approving the final version of the manuscript before submission.
  • Accepting responsibility and accountability for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship (e.g., administrative support, technical assistance, language editing, or funding acquisition alone) should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section rather than listed as authors.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for:

  • Ensuring that all eligible contributors are included as authors.
  • Obtaining the approval of all co-authors before submission.
  • Serving as the primary point of contact with the journal throughout the submission, peer-review, and publication process.
  • Ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Changes to Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office. Such requests must include the reason for the change and written consent from all authors. The journal reserves the right to decline authorship changes where appropriate.

Authorship Declaration

By submitting a manuscript to AJBMSA, the corresponding author confirms that:

  • All listed authors meet the journal’s authorship criteria.
  • No eligible contributor has been omitted.
  • All authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript.
  • The manuscript is original and has not been submitted or published elsewhere, except where disclosed to the journal.

Failure to comply with the journal’s authorship policy may result in rejection of the manuscript, withdrawal of an accepted manuscript, or retraction of a published article in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics policies.