AI Use Policy

The journal recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI tools, can assist researchers, authors, reviewers, and editors. The use of such tools must be transparent, responsible, and consistent with research integrity, publication ethics, confidentiality, and applicable ethical requirements.

1. Acceptable Use by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted tools for legitimate purposes, including:

  • improving grammar, spelling, punctuation, and language clarity;
  • improving readability and formatting;
  • translation, provided that the accuracy and meaning of the translated content are verified;
  • assisting with coding, data analysis, statistical programming, or data visualization, provided that all outputs are independently verified; and
  • brainstorming or developing preliminary ideas and outlines.

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility for the manuscript from the authors to the AI tool or its provider.z

2. Generative AI and Substantive Content

Authors may use generative AI tools to assist with manuscript preparation only where the resulting content is carefully reviewed, verified, and substantially controlled by the authors.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scholarly validity of all content in the submitted manuscript.

AI-generated text, references, data, images, analyses, or other material must not be presented as reliable or original without appropriate human verification.

3. Prohibited Uses

AI tools must not be used to:

  • fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or selectively alter research data or results;
  • generate fabricated references, citations, sources, or research findings;
  • create or manipulate images in a misleading manner;
  • produce plagiarised or misleading content;
  • conceal material use of AI where disclosure is required;
  • replace the authors' responsibility for scholarly reasoning, interpretation, or conclusions; or
  • circumvent research-ethics requirements, informed-consent requirements, or other publication-ethics standards.

4. AI Cannot Be an Author

AI tools and generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Authorship requires human responsibility for the work, including responsibility for its accuracy, integrity, ethical compliance, and final approval.

Authors remain fully accountable for the content of their manuscripts regardless of the extent to which AI tools were used.

5. Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must disclose substantive use of AI or generative AI tools in preparing a manuscript.

Routine use of AI-assisted tools for basic spelling, grammar, punctuation, or formatting correction does not normally require disclosure.

Where disclosure is required, authors should provide an AI Use Statement describing the tool used and its purpose. The statement may be included in the Acknowledgments or another appropriate section of the manuscript.

For example:

AI Use Statement: The authors used [name of tool] for [brief description of use]. The authors reviewed and verified all AI-assisted content and remain fully responsible for the final manuscript.

6. Accuracy and Verification

Authors must independently verify all AI-assisted content, including:

  • factual statements;
  • references and citations;
  • quotations;
  • data and statistical outputs;
  • interpretations;
  • translations; and
  • methodological or technical information.

AI systems may produce inaccurate, incomplete, biased, or fabricated information. Authors must therefore exercise appropriate scholarly judgment and cannot rely on AI output without verification.

7. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Authors must not upload confidential, proprietary, unpublished, sensitive, or personally identifiable information to public or third-party AI systems unless they have appropriate permission and the use complies with applicable laws, institutional requirements, research-ethics obligations, and confidentiality agreements.

Authors remain responsible for protecting research participants and confidential research information when using AI tools.

8. Peer Review and Confidential Manuscripts

Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and other unpublished material.

Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts, manuscript content, reviewer reports, or other confidential peer-review material into public or external AI systems where doing so could compromise confidentiality, intellectual property, or the integrity of the peer-review process.

Any permitted use of AI in peer review must comply with the journal's confidentiality requirements.

9. Editorial Use of AI

Editors may use AI-assisted tools for limited administrative or editorial purposes where appropriate, such as language assistance, formatting, or identifying potential reporting issues.

AI tools must not independently determine whether a manuscript is accepted, rejected, or published.

All editorial and publication decisions remain the responsibility of qualified human editors, particularly the Editor-in-Chief.

10. Peer-Review and Research Integrity

AI-assisted tools do not replace expert peer review or editorial judgment.

Where AI is used to assist with research, analysis, writing, peer review, or editorial work, users must ensure that such use does not compromise:

  • research integrity;
  • confidentiality;
  • authorship;
  • intellectual property;
  • participant privacy;
  • informed consent;
  • ethical approval; or
  • the reliability of the scholarly record.

11. AI-Generated Images and Other Content

Where AI-generated or AI-assisted images, figures, audio, video, or other media are included in a manuscript, authors must ensure that their use is ethically and legally permissible and does not misrepresent research evidence.

AI-generated or substantially AI-manipulated research images must not be presented as genuine experimental, observational, or documentary evidence.

Where relevant, authors should disclose the use of AI in creating or modifying such material.

12. Compliance and Editorial Action

The journal may request clarification concerning the use of AI in a submitted or published manuscript.

Failure to disclose substantive AI use where disclosure is required, or misuse of AI in a manner that compromises research or publication integrity, may result in appropriate editorial action, including rejection, correction, Expression of Concern, retraction, or other action under the journal's Publication Ethics and Research Ethics Policy.

 

Policy status: This policy applies to manuscripts submitted to and articles published in the journal and may be updated in response to developments in artificial intelligence, research integrity, and scholarly publishing.