For authors
Use of generative artificial intelligence and AI-supported technologies in scientific writing
PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE RULES APPLY ONLY TO THE WRITING PROCESS, NOT THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND DATA MINING AS PART OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS.
If authors use generative artificial intelligence and AI-supported technologies in the writing process, these technologies should only be used to improve readability and correct grammatical errors in the work. The use of AI technology should be supervised and controlled by humans, and authors should carefully review and edit the output, as AI can produce authoritative results that may be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Authors bear ultimate responsibility for the content of their work.
Authors should disclose in their manuscripts any use of artificial intelligence and AI-supported technologies. The use of AI should be indicated in the published work. Declaring the use of these technologies promotes transparency and trust between authors, readers, reviewers, and editors, and helps ensure compliance with the terms of use of the relevant tool or technology.
Authors should not list artificial intelligence and AI-supported technologies as authors or co-authors, nor should they cite artificial intelligence as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be assigned to and performed by humans. Each (co-)author is responsible for ensuring that issues related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are properly investigated and resolved, and authorship requires the ability to approve the final version of the work and agree to its submission. Authors are also responsible for ensuring that the work is original and that the work does not infringe on the rights of third parties.
Use of generative artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence-assisted tools in figures, images, and illustrations
We do not allow the use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted tools to create or modify images in submitted manuscripts. This may include enhancing, darkening, moving, removing, or adding a specific feature to an image or drawing. Adjusting brightness, contrast, or color balance is acceptable as long as it does not obscure or remove any information present in the original.
The editorial board's policy on AI-based authors states that authors are permitted to use generative artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process prior to submission, but only to improve the readability and correct grammatical errors in their article, and with appropriate disclosure.
For reviewers
When a researcher is invited to review another researcher's article, the manuscript should be treated as a confidential document. Reviewers should not upload the submitted manuscript or any part of it into a generative artificial intelligence tool, as this may violate the confidentiality and property rights of the authors, and if the article contains personal information, it may violate data privacy rights.
This confidentiality requirement extends to the reviewer's report (review), as it may contain confidential information about the manuscript and/or authors. For this reason, reviewers should not upload their review to an artificial intelligence tool, even if it is only for the purpose of correcting grammatical errors and readability.
Peer review is the foundation of the scientific ecosystem, and the Editorial Board adheres to the highest standards of integrity in this process. Reviewing a scientific manuscript is a responsibility that can only be entrusted to humans. Reviewers should not use generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies to assist in the scientific review of an article, as the critical thinking and original assessment required for review are beyond the scope of this technology, and there is a risk that this technology will lead to incorrect, incomplete, or biased conclusions about the manuscript. The reviewer is responsible for the content of the review.