Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Research
Upholding ethical principles in the use of artificial intelligence for research is a professional obligation, essential for maintaining scientific integrity, public trust, and institutional credibility. The misuse or non-transparent application of these rapidly advancing technologies can distort facts, produce unreliable knowledge, and ultimately erode trust within the academic community and society at large.
The main tenets of AI research ethics are as follows:
1.1. Primacy of Human Judgment: AI is an assistive tool and must not displace human reasoning, decision-making, or responsibility in the research process.
1.2. Transparency: Authors must fully disclose any use of AI tools in the preparation or analysis of scientific content, specifying the tool, its purpose, and the extent of human oversight.
1.3. Accountability: Researchers retain full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of their work. AI tools cannot be credited as authors or copyright holders, nor do they mitigate researcher accountability. Developers and users share responsibility for the consequences of AI use.
1.4. Integrity: The use of AI must not compromise scientific honesty. It is imperative to guard against fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism.
1.5. Data Security and Privacy: Researchers must understand the privacy policies, data handling practices, and security protocols of any AI tool used. Inputting sensitive, confidential, or unpublished data into public, cloud-based AI services is prohibited unless explicit guarantees against reuse exist. Sensitive data should be analyzed using secure, locally-hosted solutions.
1.6. Compliance with External Policies: Researchers must adhere to the specific AI-use policies of funders, employers, and publishers prior to submission. Non-compliance may result in rejection, retraction, or other sanctions.
1.7. Adherence to Law and Regulation: Researchers are required to comply with all applicable national laws, institutional regulations, and ethical codes concerning intellectual property and the prevention of academic fraud.
AI may be used to enhance scientific quality, efficiency, and comprehension. Acceptable applications include:
2.1. Language Polishing: Editing, rewriting, or translating text under direct author supervision.
2.2. Literature Management: Aiding in the summarization, review, and synthesis of existing research.
2.3. Visual Aid Generation: Creating images, graphs, or diagrams to illustrate concepts, with clear attribution to the AI tool used (name, version, date).
Prohibited uses, which constitute academic misconduct, include:
3.1. Fabrication: Generating fake data, results, citations, or sources.
3.2. Plagiarism: Producing or repurposing content without proper attribution, including AI-assisted paraphrasing of others’ work.
3.3. Substitution: Using AI to complete main research tasks or assessments (e.g., writing full manuscripts, solving exams) without transparent disclosure and critical human engagement.
3.4. Infringement: Presenting AI-generated creative or scholarly output as one’s own original work.
Transparent reporting of AI use is fundamental. A clear statement should describe the tool’s role (e.g., “for data analysis” or “for language editing”) and the validation process. This should appear in an “AI Use Statement” or the “Acknowledgements” section.
4.1. Citing AI Output: Follow standard citation styles to reference the AI model as a source. APA, for example, provides specific formats for this purpose. AI-generated figures must also be cited.
4.2. Publisher Policies: Literary Text Research (LTR) mandates explicit disclosure of AI use and prohibits listing AI as an author.
5.1. Reviewers are prohibited from using AI to write reports or make decisions, and must never upload confidential manuscripts to external AI platforms.
5.2. Editors must protect manuscript confidentiality and bear full responsibility for any AI-assisted decisions. Confidential material must not be processed through third-party AI tools.
In fields reliant on interpretation, critique, and creative expression, AI may assist with analytical tasks but must not replace human judgment. Using AI to generate main arguments, interpretations, or creative text without explicit acknowledgment is unethical. Transparency and respect for intellectual provenance are essential.
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