AI and AI-assisted technologies may be used as supporting tools in research and manuscript preparation when their use is appropriate, transparent, ethically responsible, and subject to meaningful human oversight.

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility from the authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, validity, integrity, appropriate attribution, and final content of everything submitted to the journal.

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies when such tools have materially contributed to the preparation of the manuscript or the research reported in it.

The disclosure should identify, where relevant, the name and version of the tool, the purpose for which it was used, and the nature of its contribution. Examples may include assistance with coding, data processing, analysis, visualization, translation, literature organization, or preparation of manuscript content.

Straightforward spelling, grammar, formatting, and conventional language-editing tools that do not generate substantive scholarly content do not normally require a formal AI declaration.

Authors must critically review and verify all outputs produced with the assistance of AI or automated tools before submission.

Authors are responsible for identifying and correcting inaccurate, fabricated, misleading, biased, incomplete, or unsupported information, including references, quotations, interpretations, calculations, datasets, code, and other material suggested or generated by AI.

AI-generated output must not be treated as independently verified evidence. Scholarly claims must be supported by appropriate and verifiable sources, data, or research methods.

Artificial intelligence systems, large language models, chatbots, and other automated tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Authorship requires accountability for the work, approval of the submitted and published version, and responsibility for questions concerning the integrity of the research. AI systems cannot fulfill these responsibilities.

Generative AI systems must not be cited as authoritative scholarly sources for factual or scientific claims. Authors should locate, examine, and cite the original scholarly or primary sources supporting the information used in the manuscript.

Authors must verify every citation and reference included in the manuscript and must not submit fabricated, non-existent, or unverifiable references generated by automated systems.

When AI or machine-learning systems form part of the research method, authors should report their use with sufficient methodological detail to permit readers and reviewers to understand how the results were produced and evaluated.

Where applicable, authors should identify relevant models, software, datasets, parameters, validation procedures, and limitations. The description should distinguish between AI used as a research method and AI used only to assist manuscript preparation.

AI-generated or AI-modified images, figures, audio, video, or other research materials must be disclosed when they form part of the scholarly content of the submission.

Authors must ensure that such material does not misrepresent research evidence and does not infringe copyright, privacy, confidentiality, consent requirements, or other legal and ethical obligations.

Authors must not upload confidential, personally identifiable, copyrighted, proprietary, unpublished, or otherwise restricted information to external AI systems unless they have appropriate authorization and the use complies with applicable ethical, legal, contractual, and data-protection requirements.

Particular care must be taken when research concerns individuals, communities, cultural knowledge, indigenous or customary knowledge, sensitive social information, or other material requiring protection.

The journal may use automated tools as one component of editorial screening. Results produced by AI-detection, similarity-checking, or other automated integrity tools are treated as indicators that may require further examination and not as conclusive evidence of misconduct.

Editorial decisions will not be based solely on an automated score or detection result. Where an automated system raises a material concern, the journal will conduct an appropriate human editorial assessment and may request clarification, supporting information, or revision from the authors.

Manuscripts under peer review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, substantial manuscript content, unpublished data, figures, supplementary files, or confidential editorial information to generative AI systems or other external automated services where confidentiality cannot be assured.

Reviewers must personally evaluate the manuscript and remain responsible for the substance, accuracy, fairness, and integrity of their review. Generative AI must not be used to create the substantive peer-review assessment.

Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not upload confidential manuscript content or unpublished research material to external generative AI systems where such use could compromise confidentiality, intellectual property, or data protection.

Editorial decisions must remain under human responsibility. Generative AI must not independently determine manuscript acceptance, rejection, or the substantive assessment of scholarly quality.

The journal may use appropriately evaluated automated tools to support administrative or integrity-screening activities, such as similarity checking, metadata processing, language-related checks, or the identification of potential integrity concerns.

Such tools support rather than replace editorial judgment. Material findings produced by automated systems will be subject to appropriate human review before editorial action is taken.

If the journal identifies potentially undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI, the editorial team may request an explanation, supporting documentation, correction, or revision from the authors.

Where the concern involves possible fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, authorship misrepresentation, citation manipulation, breach of confidentiality, or another form of research or publication misconduct, the matter will be handled under the journal's Publication Ethics and relevant correction or retraction procedures, with reference to applicable COPE guidance.