Policy on the use of AI and technologies supporting it

Policy on the use of AI and technologies supporting it

This policy applies to all participants in the editorial process of the Journal, including:

    • Authors who submit materials to the Journal.
    • Reviewers who conduct expert evaluation of submitted materials.
    • Members of the editorial board and editorial staff. 

Authors’ use of AI tools.  Authors may use AI tools to improve the quality of their manuscripts, but with the following conditions:

Responsibility for Content. Authors are solely responsible for the accuracy, originality, and reliability of all content in their manuscript, including portions created or edited using AI tools. The use of AI does not exempt the author from liability for plagiarism, fabrication, falsification of data, or other violations of academic integrity.

Transparency and Disclosure: Authors are required to clearly indicate in the Acknowledgements or Methods and Data section information about the use of AI tools during manuscript preparation. The name of the AI ​​tool, its version, and the purpose of use (e.g., for text editing, grammar checking, data analysis, image generation, etc.) should be stated.

Authorship restrictions: AI tools cannot act as authors of manuscripts. Authorship belongs only to individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions to the research and preparation of the publication.

Reviewing generated content: Authors should carefully review any text, data, or images generated by AI tools for accuracy, relevance to context, and the absence of bias or errors.

Use for data analysis. When using AI tools for data analysis, authors should clearly describe the analysis methodology, including the AI ​​tools used, in the “Methods and Data” section.

Use for image generation. If AI tools were used to generate images or other visual materials, authors should acknowledge this in the captions to the relevant elements and in the “Methods and Data” section.

Use of AI tools by reviewers

Reviewers may use AI tools to improve the efficiency of the review process, but with the following conditions:

Confidentiality: Reviewers are not allowed to upload confidential manuscript materials (including full text, data, figures, etc.) to AI tools that do not guarantee data confidentiality and security.

Objectivity. The use of AI tools should not affect the objectivity and impartiality of the review. The reviewer bears full responsibility for the content of his or her review.

Disclosure: Reviewers are encouraged to inform the editorial board about the use of AI tools during the preparation of the review, if this has been done.

Use of AI tools by editorial board and staff

The Journal’s editorial board and staff can use AI tools to optimize editorial processes, such as

  • Plagiarism check (using specialized tools).
  • Checking formatting and compliance with Journal requirements.
  • Assistance in selecting potential reviewers.
  • Analysis of trends in scientific publications.

In doing so, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the principles of confidentiality, data security, and avoidance of biases that may be inherent in some AI tools. Decisions on acceptance or rejection of a manuscript are always made by the editorial board based on scientific merit and compliance with the Journal’s standards, and not solely on the basis of results obtained using AI tools.

Ethical aspects and responsibility

Plagiarism: Using text generated by AI tools without proper attribution and/or without significant editing by the author may be considered plagiarism.

Bias: AI tools can generate content that contains biases that reflect the data they were trained on. Authors, reviewers, and editorial staff should critically evaluate AI output and avoid spreading biased content.

Transparency: Maximum transparency regarding the use of AI tools is a key element of responsible scientific publication.

Responsibility. The ultimate responsibility for compliance with the ethical norms and standards of the Journal lies with the authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial board.

Review of violations

Any identified cases of improper or unethical use of AI tools will be reviewed by the Editorial Board in accordance with the Journal’s procedures for reviewing publication ethics violations. This may include requesting clarification from the author/reviewer, rejection of the manuscript, retraction of the published article, or other measures.

Recommended wording for authors

In the article (in the “Acknowledgements” section or in the “Methods and Data” section):

“ The AI ​​tool [name, version] was used for [task] in the preparation of this manuscript. The authors confirm that all data and conclusions are reliable and verified .”

Recommendations for authors

  • Use AI as a supporting tool: Use AI for editing, translating, or generating individual ideas, but don’t rely on it to create core content.
  • Check facts and sources: AI can generate false or fabricated information. Always check facts and links, especially if they were generated using AI.
  • Avoid plagiarism: Using AI does not absolve you from liability for plagiarism. Make sure all sources are properly cited and the generated text is original or properly attributed.

We follow Elsevier’s Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy for Scholarly Publishing ; COPE’s Policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Decision-Making