Statement on GenAI

Statement on the Use of Generative AI

1. Scope and Purpose

The ethical use, disclosure, and oversight of Generative AI (GenAI) in the submission, peer review, and editorial processes of this journal follows the principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Definition

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence technologies capable of producing text, images, or other content in response to user inputs. Tools such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and similar models fall under this category.

3. Principles and Standards

3.1. Ethical Use (COPE Guidelines)

Authors, reviewers, and editors must respect the statement fully. GenAI may assist in minor aspects of the publishing process (e.g., language editing) but must not replace human intellectual contributions or create fabricated content.

3.2. Transparency

Authors are required to disclose the use of GenAI in their manuscripts. Disclosure must explicitly state which tools were used and for what purposes.

3.3. Authorship and Accountability

GenAI tools cannot be credited as authors, as they do not meet authorship criteria: substantial intellectual contribution, drafting or revising the work, and accountability for content. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of their submissions, even if AI tools were used.

3.4. Peer Review Integrity

Peer reviewers using GenAI tools must disclose such use to the editorial board; AI tools may provide suggestions or summaries but cannot replace critical analysis or professional judgment required for peer review.

4. Acceptable Uses of Generative AI

Language Refinement: Authors may use GenAI for grammar correction, syntax improvements, or stylistic edits; Data Representation: AI-generated charts or images are acceptable if the data source is clearly cited and visualizations are verified; Idea Generation: AI tools can assist in brainstorming or exploring research frameworks but should not contribute original hypotheses or conclusions.

5. Prohibited Uses of Generative AI

Fabrication or Manipulation: AI must not be used to generate false data, references, or conclusions. Plagiarism: Using AI-generated content without proper attribution is a violation of ethical publishing standards. Misrepresentation: Authors must not misrepresent AI-generated work as their own intellectual contribution.

6. Disclosure Requirements

All authors must provide a clear disclosure statement regarding the use of GenAI if they used it in writing the paper. The statement should include the name(s) of the tool(s) used; specific tasks where the tool was applied (e.g., language editing, visualization).

Example Disclosure Statement: "Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, were used for language editing and improving the clarity of the manuscript. All intellectual content, research design, and data analysis were conducted solely by the authors."