Artificial Intelligence Policy

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools

The journal acknowledges the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI)–based tools, including generative AI and large language models, in research and scholarly communication processes. In order to safeguard scientific integrity, editorial transparency, and trust in the academic record, all parties involved in the publication process must adhere to the principles governing the responsible, ethical, and transparent use of AI and automated technologies.

The use of AI tools does not, under any circumstances, replace human responsibility. Authors, reviewers, and editors retain full responsibility for the content submitted, the evaluations conducted, and the editorial decisions made at every stage of the publication process.

For Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted tools solely for limited and legitimate purposes, such as improving linguistic style, correcting grammar, adjusting formatting, or enhancing the clarity and readability of the manuscript. Any use of AI that goes beyond basic editorial assistance must be explicitly disclosed in the manuscript, either in the Acknowledgments section or in a specific disclosure statement.

Authors are fully responsible for verifying the accuracy, originality, coherence, and reliability of all content generated or assisted by AI tools. The use of such technologies does not exempt authors from responsibility for errors, omissions, misleading statements, fabricated content, or improper citation practices.

Generative AI tools do not meet the criteria for academic authorship and therefore must not be listed as authors or co-authors. AI systems cannot assume intellectual or ethical responsibility for a scientific work.

AI-assisted or generated content must not include non-existent references, falsified data, manipulated images, or fabricated results. Authors must ensure that all cited sources are authentic, verifiable, and properly referenced. AI tools must not be cited as primary sources of academic information.

When AI is used for data analysis, image generation, simulations, figure creation, or other substantive processes, such use must be clearly described in the Methodology section, providing sufficient detail to ensure transparency and reproducibility of the study. Any ethical, legal, or copyright-related implications arising from such use are the sole responsibility of the authors.

Failure to disclose the use of AI tools, as well as their inappropriate use in a manner that compromises scientific integrity, may be considered a serious breach of publication ethics and may result in manuscript rejection, the issuance of corrections, or article retraction.

For Reviewers and Editors

Peer reviewers and editors must not use generative AI tools to draft, produce, or substantially generate peer review reports, editorial evaluations, or publication decisions. This restriction is intended to preserve manuscript confidentiality, prevent the unauthorized processing of sensitive information, and avoid superficial, biased, or academically unsound assessments.

Exceptionally, reviewers and editors may use AI tools only for limited editorial assistance, such as minor stylistic corrections to their own comments, provided that no confidential content is uploaded to external systems and that such use is disclosed to the journal when appropriate.

Editorial decisions must be based on human academic judgment, grounded in disciplinary expertise, ethical responsibility, and critical evaluation. AI tools must not be used to replace or automate editorial decision-making.

Use of Automated Tools by the Journal

The journal may employ automated tools for administrative purposes and to safeguard academic integrity, such as plagiarism detection, text similarity analysis, reference verification, or image analysis. All such tools operate under human supervision, and their outputs are evaluated and interpreted by qualified editorial staff.

The use of automated tools is complementary and does not replace editorial judgment. Any observations derived from these checks will be analyzed contextually and on a case-by-case basis, granting authors the opportunity to provide clarifications or responses when appropriate.

Alignment with Elsevier Policies

This policy is fully aligned with Elsevier’s guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence and generative AI in academic publishing, incorporating principles of transparency, human responsibility, authorship integrity, and responsible disclosure.

For additional information, please consult Elsevier’s official policy on the use of AI and generative AI in scientific journals:

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