Artificial-intelligence tools may assist limited aspects of scholarly work, but they cannot be authors and cannot replace human accountability.

Authors

Authors must disclose any generative or substantive AI-assisted use in the manuscript, including the tool, version when known, purpose, and how outputs were verified. Routine spelling, grammar, or reference-formatting assistance need not be disclosed unless it materially changes content. Authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, citations, permissions, privacy, bias, and the integrity of every submitted element. AI tools must not fabricate data, images, references, participants, or results.

Reviewers

Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, figures, data, or review materials to public or third-party generative AI systems because doing so may breach confidentiality, privacy, copyright, and data security. AI-generated reviews are not acceptable. Any locally controlled assistive use permitted by the editor must be disclosed and cannot replace expert judgment.

Editors and staff

Editors and staff must protect confidential content and personal data. They may not use public generative AI tools to make editorial decisions or to process unpublished manuscripts. Editorial decisions remain human decisions made under the journals conflict and accountability rules.

AI-generated images and research use

Synthetic or AI-altered images must be clearly labelled and methodologically justified. AI used as an object or instrument of research must be described sufficiently for evaluation and reproducibility, including prompts or parameters when relevant and lawful.

Undisclosed or improper use

Material nondisclosure, fabricated content, compromised confidentiality, or misleading manipulation may result in revision, rejection, correction, or retraction under the research-integrity policy.