The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scholarly publishing offers potential benefits but raises important ethical considerations regarding transparency, accountability, authorship, data security, and research integrity. This policy provides guidance to authors, editors, and peer reviewers on the responsible use of generative AI, in accordance with COPE guidelines, ICMJE recommendations, and CSE standards.
Use of AI by Authors
Authors may use generative AI tools for limited purposes, such as language editing, improving grammar and clarity, organizing literature, coding support, and exploratory searches. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content, including AI-assisted material. Any use of AI tools must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript (e.g., in the Declarations and Supplementary Information section) and must comply with data protection, confidentiality, and intellectual property requirements.
AI must not be used to generate substantial portions of the manuscript without meaningful human oversight; to replace scholarly judgment; to create or alter research data; to generate figures, tables, images, medical images, or mathematical content; or to produce misleading, unverifiable, or fabricated content (including abstracts or citations). Undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI may constitute misconduct and lead to rejection, correction, or retraction.
Use of AI by Editors
To protect confidentiality and research integrity, editors must not upload unpublished manuscripts or related materials to AI systems. Limited use of AI for administrative or language-related tasks is permitted only with prior approval and must comply with the publisher's Code of Conduct.
Use of AI by Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewers must not use generative AI tools to evaluate manuscripts, generate review reports, summarize content, or analyze submitted data or figures. All peer review comments must reflect the reviewer’s independent expert judgment. Misuse of AI in peer review constitutes a breach of confidentiality and may result in removal from the reviewer pool.
Policy Review
The publisher will periodically review and update this policy in response to technological and ethical developments. Significant updates will be communicated to authors, editors, and reviewers.