Artificial Intelligence Policy

Artificial Intelligence Policy

The journal acknowledges the increasing use of artificial intelligence technologies, including generative AI systems and large language models, in research and scholarly communication. To uphold academic integrity, transparency, and trust in the scientific record, all participants involved in the publication process are expected to comply with the principles governing the responsible use of artificial intelligence and automated tools.

The use of artificial intelligence does not replace human judgment, accountability, or oversight. Authors, reviewers, and editors remain fully responsible for the content produced, the evaluations conducted, and the decisions made throughout the editorial process.

For Authors

Authors may use artificial intelligence tools for limited and appropriate purposes, such as language improvement, grammar correction, stylistic editing, translation, or enhancement of manuscript readability. Any use of AI tools beyond these basic editorial functions must be explicitly disclosed within the manuscript, either through a dedicated statement or within the acknowledgments section.

Authors retain full responsibility for verifying the accuracy, originality, consistency, integrity, and reliability of all content generated or assisted by artificial intelligence systems. The use of AI does not exempt authors from accountability for errors, omissions, inaccurate information, fabricated content, or inappropriate references.

Generative artificial intelligence systems do not meet the established criteria for scientific authorship and therefore cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Since AI systems cannot assume intellectual or ethical responsibility for scholarly work, they cannot be credited with authorship or academic contributions.

AI-generated content must not contain fabricated references, invented data, manipulated images, or fictitious results. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all cited sources are authentic, verifiable, and properly referenced. Furthermore, AI tools must not be cited as primary sources of scientific information.

When artificial intelligence is used for data analysis, image generation, modeling, simulations, figure preparation, or any activity related to the research findings, its use must be clearly described in the Methods section. Sufficient detail should be provided to ensure transparency and reproducibility. Any ethical, legal, or copyright implications arising from such use remain the sole responsibility of the authors.

Failure to disclose the use of artificial intelligence tools, or any use that compromises the scientific integrity of a manuscript, may be considered a breach of publication ethics and may result in corrective actions, manuscript rejection, or article retraction.

For Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors must not use generative artificial intelligence tools to draft, create, or substantially generate peer-review reports, editorial evaluations, or publication decisions. This restriction is intended to protect manuscript confidentiality, prevent the unauthorized processing of sensitive information, and avoid superficial, biased, or academically unreliable assessments.

The use of AI tools by reviewers and editors is limited to minor editorial assistance, such as linguistic corrections to their own comments, provided that confidential manuscript content is not uploaded or transferred to external systems. When appropriate, such use should be disclosed to the editorial office.

Editorial decisions must be based on critical analysis, academic expertise, and ethical responsibility exercised by qualified individuals. Artificial intelligence tools may serve as supportive resources but must not replace or automate editorial judgment and decision-making.

Use of Automated Tools by the Journal

The journal may employ automated tools to support administrative activities and research integrity procedures, including plagiarism detection, text similarity analysis, reference verification, image screening, or comparable processes designed to ensure editorial quality.

All automated tools used by the journal operate under human supervision. Their outputs are reviewed, interpreted, and validated by qualified members of the editorial team before any editorial action is taken.

Automated assessments are intended to complement, rather than replace, editorial judgment. Any concerns or irregularities identified through automated screening procedures will be evaluated individually, and authors will be given an opportunity to provide explanations or clarifications when appropriate.

Alignment with Elsevier Policies

This policy is aligned with the principles promoted by Elsevier regarding the use of artificial intelligence and generative AI in scholarly publishing, particularly those related to transparency, human accountability, authorship integrity, and responsible disclosure of AI use.

For additional information, authors are encouraged to consult Elsevier’s official policy on artificial intelligence and generative AI in academic publishing:

https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/generative-ai-policies-for-journals