Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scholarly Activities

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scholarly Activities

Axis Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (AJHRS)

1.0 Preamble and Purpose
The Axis Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (AJHRS) acknowledges the rapidly evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a transformative tool in scientific research and academic publishing. While AI technologies offer significant potential to enhance efficiency and discovery, their use must be governed by a clear ethical framework to preserve the fundamental principles of academic integrity, transparency, and human accountability that are the cornerstone of scholarly work. This policy establishes mandatory guidelines for the responsible use of AI tools by all contributors to AJHRS, including authors, reviewers, and editors.

2.0 Scope and Definitions
This policy applies to all stages of the manuscript lifecycle, from initial research and writing to peer review and editorial decision-making.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): For the purpose of this policy, AI refers to machine-based systems that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments. This includes but is not limited to: large language models (LLMs), generative AI, machine learning, natural language processing, and AI-assisted data analysis tools.

  • AI-Generated Content: Any text, image, data, analysis, or interpretation that is primarily created by an AI tool without substantial human intellectual direction and oversight.

  • AI-Assisted Content: Content where AI tools are used to support, refine, or enhance human-generated work (e.g., for grammar checking, language polishing, formatting references, or data analysis).

3.0 Author Responsibilities and Transparency

  • Mandatory Disclosure: Authors must transparently disclose any use of AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript. This disclosure must be made within the ‘Methods’ section or a dedicated ‘AI Use Statement’.

  • Prohibition of AI Authorship: AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as an author or co-author on a manuscript. Authorship requires legal personhood and the ability to be accountable for the work.

  • Human Accountability: Authors are entirely responsible and accountable for the entire content of their manuscript, including any portions developed with the assistance of AI. This includes ensuring the accuracy, originality, and validity of all information, ensuring proper citation of sources, and verifying that AI use does not constitute plagiarism.

  • Data Privacy and Security: Authors must not input confidential, sensitive, or proprietary information into publicly available AI systems. This includes unpublished research data, confidential peer-review information, and private patient information.

4.0 Quality, Originality, and Ethical Compliance

  • Plagiarism and Originality: AI-generated content that draws from undisclosed or copyrighted sources may constitute plagiarism. All submissions are subject to rigorous screening with plagiarism detection software. The use of AI to circumvent originality requirements is strictly prohibited.

  • Bias and Ethical Use: Authors must be aware of the potential for AI tools to perpetuate or amplify biases present in their training data. They are responsible for critically evaluating and mitigating any such biases in their AI-assisted work, particularly in research involving human participants.

5.0 Peer Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers and editors must not upload any part of a submitted manuscript, or any related confidential materials, into generative AI tools. This constitutes a severe breach of confidentiality and will result in immediate removal from the process and potential future exclusion.

  • AI in Review: While reviewers may use AI tools for administrative tasks (e.g., checking references), the core intellectual work of evaluation, critique, and recommendation must be performed by the human reviewer. The journal may employ AI-based screening tools to assist editors in initial checks for plagiarism or formatting, but final editorial decisions will always rest with human editors.

6.0 Research Involving AI as a Methodology
For manuscripts where the development or application of an AI algorithm is the primary subject of the research:

  • Methodological Rigor: The manuscript must provide a complete and reproducible description of the AI methodology, including details of the algorithm, training data, validation methods, and code availability (where possible).

  • Bias and Limitations: A dedicated discussion of potential biases within the training data, the algorithm's limitations, and the steps taken to mitigate them is required.

7.0 Enforcement and Compliance
Non-compliance with this policy will be treated as a serious breach of publishing ethics. Consequences may include, but are not limited to:

  • Rejection of the manuscript.

  • Retraction of a published article.

  • Prohibition on future submissions for all involved authors.

  • Notification of institutional bodies in cases of severe misconduct.

8.0 Policy Review
Given the rapid pace of AI development, this policy will be subject to formal review on an annual basis to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness. AJHRS is committed to adapting its guidelines in line with emerging community standards and technological advancements.

By implementing this comprehensive policy, AJHRS aims to harness the benefits of AI technology while steadfastly upholding the values of academic rigor, transparency, and human intellectual leadership that define our scholarly community.