For Authors

Manuscripts will only be considered for publication if the AI-generated detection result does not exceed 20%. To ensure compliance with this policy and to confirm that AI use does not exceed the 20% threshold:

• Authors must submit evidence of AI-generated detection result, and
• Authors must complete and upload the Declaration of Manuscript Eligibility Regarding AI Use .

In the declaration form, authors are required to explicitly list any AI tools that were used during manuscript preparation. Failure to comply with this policy may result in rejection of the manuscript at any stage of the editorial or review process.

Permitted Uses of AI Tools

AI tools may be used only for the following purposes:

1. Proofreading and Language Editing: AI tools may assist in correcting grammar, improving language style, and refining sentence structure.
2. Summarization and Coherence Improvement: AI tools may be used to produce summaries or to improve the coherence and cohesion of sentences or paragraphs, as long as the content is drawn from credible sources and is cited accurately and appropriately.

Prohibited Uses of AI Tools

The following uses of AI tools are strictly prohibited:

1. Full or Substantial Content Generation: Producing substantial portions or the entirety of the manuscript using generative AI, thereby replacing the author’s original analytical work.
2. AI-Generated Research Data: Generating images, tables, figures, or graphs through AI tools for the purpose of supporting research results.3. Unverified AI Output:Even when AI use falls within the permitted categories, authors are prohibited from inserting AI-generated text without conducting further verification, correction, and adaptation.

For Editors

During the editorial editorial process, editors must uphold the confidentiality of the manuscript and ensure the protection of the authors’ intellectual property rights and data privacy by adhering to the following principles:

1. Editors must not upload the manuscript to any AI tool for purposes related to article evaluation, content assessment, or editorial decision-making. The use of AI tools in these stages may compromise the accuracy and integrity of the review process and may lead to conclusions that are incorrect, incomplete, or influenced by algorithmic bias.
2. Editors must not upload the manuscript to any AI tool for translation or language-processing purposes. Such actions may expose confidential manuscript content to third-party platforms that do not guarantee secure handling of data or compliance with academic publishing standards.
3. If an editor determines that an AI-generated detection check is necessary, the editor must ensure that only secure, reliable, and journal-approved AI detection tools are used. This requirement aims to maintain data protection standards, prevent unauthorized dissemination of manuscript content, and ensure that any AI-related evaluation aligns with the journal’s ethical and technical guidelines.

For Reviewers

During the peer review process, reviewers are required to protect the confidentiality of the manuscript and uphold the authors’ intellectual property rights and data privacy by observing the following standards:

1. Reviewers must not upload the manuscript, whether in full or in part, to any AI tool for purposes such as evaluating the scholarly content, drafting review comments, or assisting in decision-making. The use of AI tools in this context may compromise the independence, objectivity, and integrity of the peer review process, and may result in assessments that are inaccurate, incomplete, or influenced by algorithmic biases.
2. Reviewers must not upload the manuscript to any AI tool for translation, paraphrasing, grammar correction, or any other language-processing functions. Such actions may lead to unintended disclosure of confidential scholarly work to external platforms that do not guarantee data security, thereby violating fundamental principles of peer review confidentiality and academic publishing ethics.
3. Reviewers are expected to maintain strict confidentiality by ensuring that the manuscript is not shared, stored, or discussed with any unauthorized individuals or systems, including AI tools that retain or analyze submitted content. Any use of AI tools for general support (e.g., checking grammar in the reviewer’s own comments) must be conducted without revealing any part of the manuscript’s content. Reviewers remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and independence of their review reports.

1. Authorship and Accountability

• AI cannot be an Author: AI tools and AI-assisted technologies {e.g., Large Language Models, Generative AI} do not meet the criteria for authorship as they cannot take responsibility for the content, integrity, or originality of the work. Therefore, AI tools or software cannot be listed as authors on any submitted manuscript.
• Authors' Full Responsibility: Authors remain fully responsible and accountable for the entire content of their submitted manuscript, including any parts generated, edited, or enhanced by AI tools. This includes the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical soundness of the work. Authors must verify the factual correctness of any statements, citations, data, or figures generated by AI.
• Human Oversight Required: The use of AI tools must be under direct human supervision. Authors must critically evaluate, edit, and revise any material generated by AI to ensure it aligns with scientific standards, accuracy, and ethical guidelines.

2. Transparency and Disclosure

• Mandatory Disclosure: Authors are required to disclose the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript. This disclosure must be explicit, specific, and transparent.

• What to Disclose: The disclosure should include:

  • The name of the AI tool{s} used: e.g., ChatGPT {OpenAI}, Bard {Google}, Grammarly, GPT-4, Midjourney, etc.
  • The specific purpose{s} for which the AI tool was used: e.g., language refinement, grammar check, drafting of specific sections {specify which sections}, brainstorming, data analysis assistance, image generation, etc.
  • The extent of AI involvement: A brief description of how the AI tool contributed to the manuscript.

• Where to Disclose: This disclosure should typically be included in one of the following sections:

  • Acknowledgements section: {Preferred for general writing assistance}
  • Methods section: {If AI was used for specific methodological steps, e.g., data analysis or coding assistance}
  • A dedicated "Declaration of AI Use" statement just before the References section or in a footnote on the title page.

  Example Disclosure Statement: "Portions of this manuscript were drafted/edited/enhanced using [Name of AI tool, e.g., ChatGPT-4 {OpenAI}]. The authors used this tool for [specific purpose, e.g., improving grammar and clarity/drafting an initial version of the Introduction section]. All content generated by the AI was thoroughly reviewed, edited, and validated by the authors, who take full responsibility for the final content." Or for image generation: "Figure X was generated with the assistance of [Name of AI tool, e.g., Midjourney v5]. The authors provided the prompts and edited the output to ensure accuracy and relevance."

3. Permissible Uses (with Disclosure)

AI tools may be used to assist authors in the following ways, provided full disclosure is made:

• Language and Grammar Refinement: Improving readability, spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.
• Drafting Support: Assisting in the generation of initial drafts of specific, non-research-critical sections {e.g., parts of the Introduction or Discussion for stylistic purposes}, which must then be thoroughly reviewed and revised by the authors.
• Brainstorming and Idea Generation: Assisting in conceptualizing ideas or outlining the structure of the manuscript.
• Data Analysis and Visualization Assistance: {Only if verified and reproducible by human authors}. If AI is used in data processing, analysis, or generating figures/tables, the specific methods, tools, and validation steps must be clearly described in the Methods section.
• Summarization of Literature: Aiding in summarizing existing literature, but the authors must ensure the accuracy of the summary and proper citation of original sources.

4. Prohibited Uses

The use of AI and AI-assisted technologies is strictly prohibited for:

• Generating Fictitious Content: Creating false data, fabricated research results, or non-existent references/citations.
• Plagiarism: Using AI-generated content without proper attribution {i.e., treating it as original work when it is not fully human-generated or verified}. All AI-generated content must be treated as any other source and properly attributed if it relies on existing intellectual property or specific datasets.
• Substituting for Human Intellectual Contribution: AI cannot perform the core intellectual work of research, such as formulating original hypotheses, designing experiments, interpreting novel findings, or drawing original conclusions.
• Violating Confidentiality: Reviewers and editors are strictly prohibited from using AI tools with confidential manuscript content {e.g., uploading the manuscript to publicly available AI models}, as this may breach confidentiality, copyright, and the integrity of the peer-review process.
• Misrepresenting Research: Using AI to intentionally mislead readers about the methods, results, or conclusions of the research.

5. Consequences of Misuse

Failure to adhere to this policy regarding the ethical use of AI and AI-assisted technologies will be considered a serious breach of publication ethics. Such breaches may result in:

• Rejection of the submitted manuscript.
• Retraction of the published article.
• Banning of the author(s) from future submissions to the journal.
• Notification to the authors' institution and relevant ethics committees.

This policy will be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect advancements in AI technology and evolving ethical guidelines in scholarly publishing.