AI POLICY

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The International Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Science (IJNMS) recognizes the rapid development and utilization of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in research and scholarly writing. To ensure transparency, scientific integrity, and ethical standards, IJNMS establishes the following policy regarding the use of AI tools in submitted manuscripts.

1. Authorship & AI Tools

  • AI Tools Cannot Be Authors: AI programs, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, or other AI-assisted tools do not satisfy the criteria for authorship (which require scientific responsibility, decision-making, and intellectual accountability). Therefore, AI cannot be listed as an author or co-author on any submission.

  • Author Accountability: Authors are fully and solely responsible for the accuracy, scientific integrity, confidentiality, and originality of all content in their manuscript, including any parts created or assisted by AI tools. Authors are liable for any instances of plagiarism, inaccurate citations, or fabricated data/results caused by AI tools.

2. Disclosure and Transparency Requirements

  • Mandatory Declaration: Authors who use AI tools (for writing, language editing, data analysis, image generation, or code development) must explicitly declare their usage within the manuscript.

  • Placement of Statement: A formal statement must be included in the "Methods" section (for data analysis/generation) or in a dedicated "Declaration on the Use of AI and AI-Assisted Technologies" section prior to the References.

  • Required Details: The declaration must specify:

    • Name and version of the AI tool/software used.

    • Reason/purpose for using the tool (e.g., language refinement, translation assistance, data processing).

    • A confirmation that the authors reviewed, edited, and approved the final output.

Sample Declaration Statement:

"During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [Name of Tool/Software, Version] to [reason, e.g., improve readability and English grammar]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as necessary and take full responsibility for the content of the publication."

3. Exceptions (Standard Software)

  • Basic editing tools used solely to check grammar, spelling, or reference formatting (e.g., standard word processing tools, Grammarly, EndNote, Mendeley) do not require a formal AI declaration, provided they do not generate or rephrase core scientific text or arguments.

4. Use of AI in Images and Figures

  • The creation, alteration, or manipulation of scientific images, figures, charts, or clinical photos using AI tools is strictly prohibited unless part of an explicitly stated research methodology.

  • Minor adjustments (e.g., brightness, contrast, crop) applied uniformly across an entire image are acceptable only if they do not distort the original data.

5. Peer Reviewers & Editors Ethics

  • Confidentiality: Peer reviewers and editors must treat all submitted manuscripts as strictly confidential documents. Reviewers and editors are strictly prohibited from uploading manuscripts, abstracts, or review tasks into generative AI tools or LLMs.

  • Review Integrity: AI tools must not be used to generate peer review reports or editorial evaluations, as doing so compromises manuscript confidentiality and editorial judgment.