Generative Artificial Intelligence Policies

International Journal of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine (IJETM) upholds the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and transparency throughout the publication process. This policy defines the ethical boundaries and specific responsibilities regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies for authors, editors, and reviewers.

A. Author Responsibility

Authors retain ultimate control over and responsibility for the novelty, accuracy, and integrity of their submitted work.

  1. Permitted Use: Authors may utilize AI tools solely for language editing, grammar and spelling correction, enhancing clarity, and restructuring text under direct human oversight.
  2. Prohibited Use: AI tools must not be used to generate substantial manuscript content, create or manipulate research data, fabricate references, or submit AI-generated text as original work.
  3. Mandatory Disclosure: Authors must explicitly state any AI tool used and its specific role within the Acknowledgments or Methods section of the manuscript.
  4. Accountability: Authors remain fully accountable for the validity and originality of the entire manuscript and must promptly respond to editorial inquiries regarding AI usage.

Note: Violations of these guidelines may result in immediate desk rejection, post-publication retraction, or further disciplinary ethical actions.

B. Editor Responsibility

Editors act as the primary custodians of the journal’s publication ethics and quality control.

  1. Screening and Detection: Editors are responsible for evaluating submitted manuscripts for unauthorized AI use, utilizing specialized AI-detection software and rigorous editorial assessment where appropriate.
  1. Enforcing Transparency: Editors must ensure that authors provide clear, honest, and comprehensive disclosures regarding AI assistance prior to peer review.
  1. Ethical Adjudication: Editors reserve the right to request clarification, issue a desk rejection, or halt the publication process if there is verifiable evidence of data manipulation or substantial text generation by AI.
  1. Confidentiality Safeguards: Editors are strictly prohibited from uploading authors' manuscripts into generative AI tools for editing, summarizing, or decision-making purposes, thereby protecting the author's intellectual property.

C. Reviewer Responsibility

Reviewers ensure that the evaluation of manuscripts is conducted with strict confidentiality, critical expertise, and objective judgment.

  1. Strict Prohibition on AI-Driven Reviewing: Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts, abstracts, or any part of the text into generative AI platforms to generate peer-review reports, summaries, or recommendations. Doing so constitutes a severe breach of confidentiality.
  1. Reporting Suspected Malpractice: If a reviewer detects anomalies, unnatural phrasing, or structural patterns suggesting undisclosed AI-generated content or fabricated data, they must immediately report these concerns to the Editor.
  1. Human-Centric Evaluation: The peer-review process must rely entirely on the reviewer's personal scientific expertise, critical thinking, and professional judgment, independent of automated machine intervention.