ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) USE POLICY

Policy on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Scholarly Publishing

1. General Policy

The journal recognizes the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in supporting academic research, scientific writing, and scholarly publishing. The journal permits authors, reviewers, and editors to use AI-assisted technologies, including but not limited to ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), Claude (Anthropic), and other generative AI applications, provided that their use complies with the principles of transparency, academic integrity, research ethics, and responsible scholarly communication.

AI technologies may be used as supporting tools but must not replace human intellectual contributions, scientific judgment, or accountability for published research.

2. Permitted Use of Artificial Intelligence by Authors

Authors are permitted to use AI-assisted tools for the following purposes:

  1. Language Editing and Proofreading: Improving grammar, spelling, punctuation, readability, sentence structure, and academic writing quality without altering the scientific meaning of the manuscript.

  2. Manuscript Organization: Assisting with manuscript structure, outlining, paragraph organization, and improving the logical presentation of research findings.

  3. Literature Discovery: Supporting the identification of relevant scientific literature, provided that all references, citations, and bibliographic information are independently verified by the authors.

  4. Translation Assistance: Translating manuscripts or specific sections into other languages while maintaining the accuracy of scientific terminology and meaning.

  5. Data Analysis and Programming Assistance: Supporting statistical analysis, coding, computational procedures, and data visualization, provided that all AI-generated outputs are independently validated.

  6. Research Presentation: Assisting with the preparation of tables, figures, graphical abstracts, and other supporting materials, subject to applicable ethical standards and disclosure requirements.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, validity, originality, and scientific integrity of all content submitted to the journal.

3. Restrictions and Prohibited Uses

The journal strictly prohibits the use of AI technologies for activities that compromise research integrity, including:

  1. Fabricating, falsifying, or manipulating research data, results, or scientific findings.

  2. Generating fictitious references, citations, DOI numbers, or bibliographic information.

  3. Presenting AI-generated content as independently verified scientific evidence without appropriate validation.

  4. Creating or manipulating research images, figures, or experimental results in a misleading or deceptive manner.

  5. Using AI-generated text or other materials in ways that violate copyright, intellectual property rights, or academic integrity standards.

  6. Uploading confidential research data, unpublished manuscripts, personal information, or sensitive materials into AI systems without appropriate authorization and safeguards.

  7. Using AI technologies to conceal plagiarism, fabricate scientific contributions, or misrepresent the research process.

Any violation of these provisions may result in manuscript rejection, correction, retraction, or other editorial actions in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.

4. Disclosure and Transparency of AI Use

Authors must transparently disclose the use of generative AI tools when such technologies have made a substantive contribution to manuscript preparation, data analysis, content generation, or research presentation.

The disclosure should identify:

  • The name of the AI tool and its provider.

  • The purpose for which the AI tool was used.

  • The sections or research activities supported by AI.

  • The verification or validation performed by the authors, where applicable.

Routine spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections that do not substantively alter manuscript content generally do not require a separate disclosure.

Authors may include the following statement in their manuscripts:

Declaration of Artificial Intelligence Use

"The authors acknowledge the use of [AI Tool Name] developed by [Provider] to assist with [specific purpose] during the preparation of this manuscript. All AI-assisted content was reviewed, verified, and approved by the authors, who take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the published work."

If no generative AI tools were used, authors may state:

"The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript."

5. AI Authorship and Accountability

Artificial Intelligence systems, including ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies, cannot be listed or recognized as authors or co-authors of manuscripts submitted to the journal.

Authorship is reserved exclusively for individuals who meet the journal's authorship criteria and can take responsibility for the intellectual contributions, accuracy, originality, and integrity of the research.

AI technologies cannot assume legal or ethical responsibility, approve final manuscripts, manage conflicts of interest, or respond independently to questions concerning research integrity.

All authors must review and approve the final manuscript before submission.

6. Use of Artificial Intelligence by Reviewers

Peer reviewers must maintain the confidentiality, objectivity, and integrity of the peer-review process.

Reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts, confidential research materials, or identifiable author information to external AI platforms without explicit authorization from the journal and appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

AI tools may be used for limited administrative or language-related assistance when permitted by the journal, but they must not replace independent scientific evaluation, critical analysis, or professional judgment.

Reviewers remain fully responsible for the content, accuracy, fairness, and recommendations contained in their review reports.

7. Use of Artificial Intelligence by Editors

Editors may use AI-assisted technologies to support administrative and editorial activities, including language assessment, manuscript classification, and preliminary technical screening, provided that confidentiality, data protection, and publication ethics are maintained.

Editorial decisions, including manuscript acceptance, revision, and rejection, must remain under the responsibility of qualified human editors.

AI-generated assessments must not serve as the sole basis for editorial decisions.

Editors must ensure that the use of AI technologies does not compromise editorial independence, fairness, transparency, or the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.

8. Research Integrity and Ethical Responsibility

The journal emphasizes that AI technologies are supplementary instruments intended to enhance the efficiency and quality of scholarly communication.

The use of AI does not reduce the responsibility of authors, reviewers, or editors to comply with established standards of academic integrity, research ethics, intellectual property protection, and responsible publication practices.

Authors must ensure that all scientific claims, methodologies, analyses, citations, and conclusions are accurate, verifiable, and supported by appropriate evidence.

9. Editorial Evaluation and Policy Enforcement

The editorial board reserves the right to request clarification regarding the use of AI technologies during manuscript preparation or the research process.

Where necessary, authors may be required to provide additional information about AI-assisted activities, including the tools used, their intended purposes, and the procedures undertaken to verify the generated outputs.

Suspected violations will be evaluated through appropriate editorial procedures, with authors given an opportunity to provide clarification.

The journal may implement corrective actions, including manuscript revision, rejection, publication of corrections, or retraction, depending on the nature and severity of the violation.

AI-detection tools, where used, must not constitute the sole evidence of misconduct.

10. Policy Review and Updates

This policy may be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect developments in artificial intelligence technologies, international publication ethics standards, and best practices in scholarly publishing.

The journal remains committed to promoting responsible innovation while safeguarding the credibility, transparency, originality, and integrity of scientific publications.