AI Use Policy

Editorial Governance & Ethics

Policy on Generative AI & AI-Assisted Technologies

Standards of transparency, integrity, and human accountability for authors, peer reviewers, and editors.

Human Oversight Authors retain total responsibility for validity, factual accuracy, and integrity.
Zero Authorship AI tools cannot fulfill author criteria and cannot be listed as an author or co-author.
Confidentiality Strict ban on uploading unpublished manuscripts to AI tools during review or editorial triage.

Part I: Policy for Authors

Permissible Use: Generative AI tools (e.g., LLMs) may be utilized solely to enhance language clarity, grammar, and readability. They must not be used to generate, analyze, or interpret scientific data, synthesize novel scientific hypotheses, or formulate primary conclusions.

Image & Artwork Integrity: Utilizing generative AI tools to create, modify, enhance, or obscure figures, gels, histology images, or graphical abstracts is strictly prohibited. Any legitimate algorithmic analysis integrated into research methodology must be documented reproducibly within the Methods section.

Mandatory Manuscript Declaration Format

Insert this declaration statement in your manuscript immediately preceding the Reference section:

"During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE, VERSION] to [SPECIFY PURPOSE, e.g., language refinement and readability]. Following usage, the author(s) reviewed, validated, and edited the material and assume full accountability for the integrity and accuracy of the publication."

Part II: Peer Reviewers

Peer review is strictly privileged and confidential. Reviewers are prohibited from inputting manuscripts, figures, or reviewer evaluation reports into any generative AI tool. Scientific assessments require unbiased, original human evaluation.

Part III: Editorial Decisions

Editors may not upload submitted papers or referee files into generative platforms. Editorial triage, acceptance determinations, and desk rejections remain an uncompromised, human decision-making responsibility.

Compliance & Violation Sanctions

Undeclared AI utilization, unauthorized figure generation, or breach of manuscript confidentiality constitutes publication misconduct. Consequences include immediate manuscript rejection, formal article retraction, notification to institutional authorities, and potential submission sanctions.