Authorship and Contributorship

Jurnal Mediasas: Media Ilmu Syari'ah dan Ahwal Al-Syakhsiyyah establishes this Authorship and Contributorship Policy to promote transparency, accountability, fairness, and research integrity in scholarly publishing. This policy is informed by recognized publication ethics principles, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and is aligned with the journal's focus on Islamic law, Islamic family law, family law, Sharia economic law, Islamic criminal law, customary law, constitutional law, comparative law, marriage and gender issues, and related multidisciplinary studies.

1. Eligibility for Authorship

Authorship must reflect a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript. Qualifying contributions may include conceptualization, research design, formulation of research questions, collection and interpretation of empirical data or legal and documentary sources, doctrinal or comparative legal analysis, interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), analysis of legislation, court decisions or fatwas, and development of the manuscript's substantive arguments.

Each author must participate meaningfully in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content, approve the final version for publication, and accept accountability for their contribution and for helping ensure the integrity of the work.

All individuals who meet the authorship criteria must be included, and no individual may be listed without their knowledge and consent. Academic position, institutional authority, seniority, funding provision, general supervision, administrative assistance, or language editing alone does not justify authorship. Providing access to research locations, participants, institutions, court records, or documentary sources does not, by itself, qualify an individual for authorship.

2. Author Contribution Statement

Every submitted manuscript must include an Author Contribution statement immediately after the Conclusion, in accordance with the journal's current manuscript template.

The statement must accurately describe each author's actual contribution. Relevant roles may include conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data collection, acquisition of documentary materials, formal analysis, legal analysis, interpretation of Islamic legal sources, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing, and supervision involving substantive intellectual input.

Contributions must be identified consistently by author name or initials. Multiple authors may share a role, and one author may perform several roles. All authors must agree that the statement accurately represents their contributions.

Single-author manuscripts must also include an Author Contribution statement describing the author's contribution. Individuals who provided assistance but do not meet the authorship criteria may be acknowledged separately.

3. Author List and Order

Authors must discuss and agree upon authorship and author order before submission. Decisions must reflect actual scholarly contributions and appropriate disciplinary conventions.

All listed authors must consent to the submission and publication of the manuscript in MEDIASAS. Author names, affiliations, email addresses, and contribution statements must be accurate and consistent across the manuscript and the journal's submission metadata.

The journal does not determine author order on behalf of authors. Any proposed author list must be approved by all authors before submission.

4. Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between the author team and MEDIASAS throughout submission, peer review, revision, publication, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author must ensure that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript, agreed to the author list and contribution statement, and received relevant editorial communications.

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating responses to editorial queries and requests for clarification, supporting materials, corrections, or other information concerning the manuscript. This responsibility does not release other authors from accountability for their own contributions.

5. Acknowledgment of Other Contributions

Individuals or organizations whose contributions do not meet the criteria for authorship may be recognized in the Acknowledgments section, where appropriate. Such contributions may include technical assistance, administrative support, language editing, funding, access to research facilities, or assistance in obtaining data and documentary materials.

The nature of the assistance must be described accurately, and permission must be obtained before naming individuals. Acknowledgment must not replace authorship when a contributor meets the journal's authorship criteria.

Funding and other relevant support must also be disclosed in the appropriate section of the manuscript in accordance with the journal's template.

6. Unacceptable Authorship Practices

MEDIASAS prohibits the following practices:

• Gift, honorary, or guest authorship: listing an individual who has not made a qualifying scholarly contribution.

• Ghost authorship: omitting an individual who meets the authorship criteria or concealing substantive writing or research contributions.

• Unauthorized authorship: listing an individual without their knowledge and consent.

• False contribution statements: inaccurately describing or misrepresenting an author's actual contribution.

• Improper authorship changes: adding, removing, or rearranging authors without appropriate justification and the required consent.

Suspected violations will be assessed under the journal's publication ethics procedures, with reference to relevant COPE guidance. The parties concerned will be given an appropriate opportunity to respond.

7. Changes to Authorship

Requests to add or remove an author, change author order, or change the corresponding author after submission must be addressed in writing to the editor, with a clear explanation and written agreement from all authors concerned, including any individual being added or removed.

An updated Author Contribution statement must accompany the request where applicable. The editor may suspend manuscript processing while the request is assessed.

If the parties cannot reach agreement, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or institutions for further investigation. No authorship change may be made unilaterally.

Requests received after publication will be assessed based on the explanation, supporting evidence, and agreement of the parties concerned. Approved changes will be documented through an appropriate correction or editorial notice, and the publication record will be updated as necessary.

8. Authorship Disputes

Authorship concerns or disputes must be reported through the journal's official communication channels, accompanied by a description of the issue and relevant supporting evidence.

The editor will seek clarification from the parties concerned and may suspend manuscript processing while the dispute remains unresolved. Editors are not responsible for independently adjudicating competing claims about contributions made within a research team.

Where necessary, the journal may request an investigation by the relevant institution or institutions. Editorial action will take account of available evidence, applicable policies, and relevant institutional findings.

If an authorship problem affects a published article, MEDIASAS will take appropriate action to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

9. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility for scholarly work or fulfil the obligations associated with authorship.

Authors must disclose the use of artificial intelligence tools in research or manuscript preparation in the AI Usage section, placed immediately after the Conclusion and before Author Contribution, in accordance with the journal's current manuscript template.

The disclosure must identify the tool used and explain its purpose and scope. When AI is used for data processing, analysis, translation, or examination of legal and documentary materials, relevant methodological details must also be reported where appropriate.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, attribution, and integrity of the manuscript, including content produced with AI assistance. This includes verifying data, references, legislation, court decisions, fatwas, quotations, and other cited sources.

AI must not be used to fabricate data, invent references, misrepresent research findings, or conceal substantive contributions. Authors must ensure that AI use complies with applicable research ethics, confidentiality obligations, and intellectual property requirements.

10. Policy Implementation and Review

This policy applies to all authors submitting manuscripts to MEDIASAS. The journal may review and update the policy periodically to maintain consistency with recognized publication ethics principles, applicable regulations, and the journal's editorial policies.