The journal recognizes the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI tools in academic research and scholarly publishing. AI technologies may support authors, reviewers, and editors in certain tasks; however, their use must not compromise research integrity, transparency, originality, confidentiality, or human responsibility.
The use of AI and Generative AI tools is permitted when used responsibly and transparently to support scholarly work.
AI tools must not replace the intellectual, scholarly, or ethical responsibility of authors, reviewers, or editors. Human researchers and publishing professionals remain fully responsible for the content, decisions, and integrity of their work.
Authors may use AI or Generative AI tools for limited purposes such as:
language improvement and grammar correction;
translation;
improving readability and clarity;
formatting assistance;
generating ideas or research prompts; and
other supportive tasks that do not replace the authors' scholarly judgment.
Authors remain responsible for verifying all information, arguments, citations, references, data, interpretations, and conclusions contained in their manuscripts.
Authors must disclose the use of Generative AI when the tool has made a substantive contribution to the preparation or development of the manuscript.
The disclosure should identify:
the AI or Generative AI tool used;
the purpose of its use; and
the relevant stage or part of the manuscript in which it was used.
Minor use of AI tools for routine spelling, grammar, punctuation, or formatting assistance may not require a detailed disclosure unless otherwise required by the journal.
AI tools, including Generative AI systems, cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript.
Authorship requires human responsibility, accountability, and the ability to participate in the scholarly and ethical aspects of the publication process.
Authors are fully responsible for verifying AI-assisted content.
AI-generated material may contain inaccurate information, fabricated references, misleading statements, biased interpretations, or other errors. Authors must therefore independently check and validate any AI-assisted content before submitting a manuscript.
The use of AI does not relieve authors of their responsibility for the accuracy and originality of their work.
The use of Generative AI does not exempt authors from the journal's requirements concerning originality, plagiarism, citation, copyright, and responsible research conduct.
Authors must ensure that AI-assisted text, ideas, images, data, or other materials do not improperly reproduce or misappropriate the intellectual property of others.
The journal may use appropriate tools and editorial procedures to assess originality and research integrity.
Authors should clearly disclose the use of Generative AI in creating images, figures, tables, datasets, or other substantive content when such use is permitted by the journal.
AI-generated or AI-modified content must not be presented as independently produced research evidence.
Authors remain responsible for ensuring that such content is scientifically, ethically, and legally appropriate.
Authors must exercise caution when submitting unpublished manuscripts, confidential data, personal information, or proprietary materials to external AI systems.
Authors should not upload confidential or sensitive manuscript materials to AI tools when doing so could compromise confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property, or the rights of research participants.
Reviewers must not use Generative AI tools to analyze, summarize, evaluate, or generate reviews of confidential manuscripts unless such use is explicitly permitted by the journal and appropriate safeguards are in place.
Reviewers must protect the confidentiality of manuscripts and must not upload unpublished manuscript content, reviewer materials, or confidential editorial information to AI systems without authorization.
Reviewers remain personally responsible for the content and recommendations contained in their reviews.
Editors may use AI-assisted tools for limited administrative or technical purposes where appropriate, provided that confidentiality, data protection, peer-review integrity, and editorial independence are maintained.
Editors must not delegate editorial judgment or final publication decisions to AI systems.
Final editorial decisions remain the responsibility of qualified human editors.
AI tools must not be used to fabricate or manipulate research data, experimental results, images, references, citations, identities, peer-review reports, or other elements of scholarly communication.
Any use of AI that contributes to research misconduct may result in editorial action in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics, Correction, and Retraction policies.
The journal encourages transparency regarding substantive use of AI and Generative AI tools.
Authors, reviewers, and editors must remain accountable for their respective responsibilities throughout the research, peer-review, and publication processes, regardless of whether AI tools have been used.
The journal reserves the right to request clarification or additional disclosure concerning the use of AI or Generative AI when necessary to assess research integrity, originality, authorship, confidentiality, or compliance with journal policies.
Failure to disclose substantive AI use, where disclosure is required, may result in the manuscript being returned for clarification or subject to further editorial evaluation.
Where applicable, authors may include a statement such as:
AI and Generative AI Disclosure: During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name of AI tool] for [describe purpose]. The authors subsequently reviewed, verified, and edited the AI-assisted content and take full responsibility for the final content of the manuscript.
If no substantive Generative AI tool was used, authors may state:
AI and Generative AI Disclosure: The authors declare that no Generative AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Because AI technologies and standards for responsible AI use continue to develop, the journal may periodically update this policy to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research ethics, data protection, copyright, and responsible AI practices.
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