ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICY

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICY

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

This policy is informed by the Recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), Section V: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Publishing (revised January 2026).

The journal adheres to the ICMJE guidance on the responsible application of artificial intelligence in scholarly publishing. This guidance covers large language models (LLMs), conversational agents (chatbots), and image-generation tools.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

At the time of submission, authors are required to declare whether any AI-assisted technologies were employed in the preparation of the work. Where such technologies were used, authors should specify the nature and scope of their use in the cover letter and, where relevant, in the appropriate section of the manuscript.

AI tools do not satisfy the criteria for authorship and may not be listed as authors. Authorship entails accountability for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the work, and an AI tool is incapable of assuming such accountability. Consequently, full responsibility for any submitted material produced with the assistance of AI rests with the human authors.

Authors are expected to:

  • Critically review and revise all AI-generated content, recognising that such output may be inaccurate, incomplete, or biased.
  • Ensure that the manuscript, including any text or images generated with AI, contains no plagiarised material.
  • Attribute all quoted material correctly and provide complete citations. AI-generated content must not be cited as a primary source.

Non-disclosure of AI use may result in corrective measures and, in certain circumstances, may be regarded as research misconduct.

Source: ICMJE, “Use of AI by Authors”

2. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are required to comply with the journal’s AI policy and to obtain the editor’s approval before employing any AI tool in the course of a review. Manuscripts under review constitute privileged and confidential communications. Reviewers must therefore not upload any manuscript, in whole or in part, to an AI tool or platform that cannot guarantee confidentiality, unless the journal has expressly authorised such use. Reviewers who make use of AI must declare this to the journal and remain accountable for the accuracy and appropriateness of their review.

Source: ICMJE, “Use of AI by Reviewers”

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors should require authors to state whether, and in what manner, AI or LLMs were used, and should remain vigilant for undeclared use. Routine linguistic assistance, such as the correction of spelling and grammar, is generally considered acceptable. By contrast, the use of AI to generate substantive content must be evaluated in light of the particular work concerned. In every case, authors retain responsibility for verifying the accuracy and validity of their content prior to submission.

Editors and reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts to AI systems that cannot ensure confidentiality, unless the journal has expressly authorised such use. Where the journal itself employs AI for copy-editing, production, or the preparation of ancillary materials (for example, summaries, educational resources, or audio content), this use will be disclosed. Editors remain responsible for the accuracy and validity of all such materials.

Source: ICMJE, “Editors’ Role in Ensuring Responsible Use of AI”