Ethical Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies
Our journal accepts the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI technologies as auxiliary and supportive tools in scientific research and academic publishing processes. However, the use of these technologies does not replace the scientific, academic, and ethical responsibilities of researchers, editors, and reviewers. Adherence to the principles of transparency, accuracy, accountability, confidentiality, academic integrity, and research ethics is fundamental when utilizing artificial intelligence technologies.
General Principles
• Artificial intelligence applications cannot be listed as an author or co-author, as they do not meet the necessary responsibilities and criteria for authorship.
• If artificial intelligence technologies have been used for purposes such as research, data analysis, translation, language editing, coding, or the preparation of visuals, figures, or tables, this use must be explained in an appropriate and transparent manner.
• Any information, data, figures, tables, visuals, or similar content generated or supported by artificial intelligence must be verified by the user and validated scientifically.
• The person using the AI tool is responsible for verifying the accuracy, reliability, and scientific validity of information generated by AI systems.
• Information subject to confidentiality obligations, personal data, unpublished research, peer-review materials, or confidential documents must not be uploaded to AI platforms without ensuring the necessary security measures are in place.
• The use of AI technologies must comply with applicable research ethics, publication ethics, copyright laws, personal data protection regulations, and other relevant legal provisions, as well as the journal’s ethical policies.
Principles Regarding Authors
• Authors must clearly and comprehensibly state which AI tools were used during the preparation of the study and for what purposes.
• Authors must review, verify, and make any necessary corrections to analyses, source recommendations, visuals, tables, or other content generated by artificial intelligence before publication.
• Artificial intelligence tools should not be listed as authors or co-authors in the article.
• Artificial intelligence technologies must not be used to generate fabricated data, fake sources or citations, misinformation, misleading content, or visuals that cannot be scientifically verified.
• When using artificial intelligence, authors must act in compliance with obligations regarding copyright, intellectual property, data security, privacy, and the protection of personal data.
• They must acknowledge that they are fully responsible for the entire content of the article, its scientific accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance.
Principles Regarding Reviewers
• They must not upload articles, supplementary files, data, or confidential information related to the peer review process to artificial intelligence tools.
• They must protect the confidentiality of the peer review process and must not share information obtained during the review with third parties.
• They must conduct their scientific evaluations in accordance with their areas of expertise, academic knowledge, and scientific evaluation criteria.
• They must not use any recommendations or outputs generated by artificial intelligence tools in place of their own scientific evaluations.
• If they identify any potential ethical issues, data reliability concerns, source accuracy issues, or misleading content arising from the use of artificial intelligence during the review process, they must notify the editorial board.
Principles for Editors
• Editors must make decisions regarding the publication process in accordance with scientific quality, academic evaluation, ethical principles, and the journal’s publication policies.
• They must not share manuscript files, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, or other confidential documents related to the publication process with inappropriate AI systems.
• They must evaluate authors’ disclosures regarding AI use and, when deemed necessary, request additional clarification from authors regarding the nature of such use.
• They must conduct the necessary investigation processes when there is suspicion of potential ethical violations, data manipulation, fabricated data, false citations, or misleading content arising from the use of AI.
• If the use of AI is found to violate publication ethics, the journal must take the necessary actions in accordance with COPE principles and the journal’s publication policies.
AI Use Disclosure
If authors use AI tools during the preparation of their work, they must clearly state the name, version, or model (if applicable) of the AI system used, as well as the purpose of its use, in an appropriate section of the article. AI applications used for text editing, grammar and style improvement, translation, data or content analysis, coding, image generation, or technical support must also be disclosed in accordance with the principle of transparency.