Authorship Policy

The Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities (JTUH) adopts stringent criteria to determine authorship eligibility, in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), to ensure transparency and equitable recognition of intellectual efforts:

First: Authorship Criteria

The designation of "Author" is strictly limited to individuals who simultaneously meet all four of the following conditions:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the research, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
• Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
• Final approval of the version to be published.
• Explicit agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the research are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Second: Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

• Serves as the primary point of contact with the Journal via the electronic management system during the submission, peer review, and production phases.
• Assumes responsibility for ensuring that all deserving authors, and no inappropriate individuals, are included in the author list.
• Bears the responsibility of verifying that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the initial and final versions of the manuscript, and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Third: Changes to Authorship

• Pre-publication: Any request to add, delete, or rearrange author names after submission requires a clear scientific justification provided to the Editor-in-Chief. The request must be accompanied by written consent (via official email) from all authors, including the individual being added or removed. The editorial board reserves the right to suspend the review process until the matter is resolved.
• Post-publication: No changes to author names or their sequence are permitted after the final publication of the manuscript, except in justified exceptional cases that necessitate issuing a "Corrigendum" in accordance with the approved correction policies.

Fourth: Unacceptable Authorship Practices

The Journal strictly prohibits the following transgressions, classifying them as academic misconduct:

• Guest/Gift Authorship: Including the name of an individual who has not made a genuine scientific contribution meeting the aforementioned criteria, regardless of their position or relationship.
• Ghost Authorship: Excluding or omitting the name of a researcher who has made a substantial contribution to the completion of the work.

Fifth: Acknowledgements

• An "Acknowledgements" section must be designated at the end of the manuscript to recognize the efforts of individuals or entities that provided valuable support (e.g., language editing, technical support, resource provision, or financial funding) but do not meet the authorship criteria. Authors must obtain explicit consent from the individuals mentioned in this section.