Design Nexus : Interdisciplinary Journal of Design Studies

1. Purpose and Context

This policy establishes the standards for transparent, ethical, and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted tools in submissions to Design Nexus, an international journal focusing on design research, creative practices, visual culture, and design-driven innovation.

Unlike scientific or engineering-focused journals, Design Nexus recognizes that emerging AI tools may influence creative workflows. However, the journal maintains strict requirements for authorship accountability, research integrity, and originality.

The policy aligns with global publishing ethics and is adapted from Elsevier’s guidelines.

A. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

2. Human Creativity and Intellectual Ownership

While AI tools may influence design processes, human authors must remain the primary creators, interpreters, and decision-makers.
All conceptual development, research design, argumentation, and conclusions must be authored by humans.

AI cannot generate intellectual contributions that qualify for authorship.

B. POLICY FOR AUTHORS

3. Acceptable Uses of AI Tools

Authors may use generative AI or AI-assisted systems for:

Improving grammar, clarity, or stylistic coherence

Organizing text or enhancing readability

Supporting idea generation at early brainstorming stages (with full human refinement)

Non-creative, functional tasks (e.g., citation formatting, style adjustments)

These uses must be supervised by authors, who retain full responsibility for the manuscript.

4. Prohibited Uses

AI tools must not be used for:

Writing core scholarly arguments or theoretical frameworks

Generating research findings, analyses, or critical interpretations

Fabricating citations, quotes, interview content, or visual/ethnographic data

Producing textual content presented as original scholarly insight

Writing responses to reviewers without human authorship

AI-generated references are strictly forbidden.

C. POLICY FOR VISUAL MATERIALS

Design fields sometimes involve speculative or conceptual imagery; therefore, our policy differentiates among categories.

5. AI-Generated Visual Content

AI-generated images, illustrations, or conceptual visuals are permitted only under the following conditions:

Their generative nature is clearly acknowledged

Their role in the research (e.g., speculative design, visual exploration) is explicitly justified

The Methods or Creative Process section explains how AI tools were used

They do not misrepresent empirical, observational, or experimental data

AI-generated visuals cannot be submitted as:

Evidence

Empirical documentation

Data visualizations

Analytical images

6. Manipulation Restrictions

Visual materials must not:

Falsify or distort research data

Present AI-generated content as real-world observation

Alter empirical images beyond standard adjustments (brightness, cropping, color balance)

For empirical research, raw files must be supplied upon request.

D. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS

7. Mandatory AI Disclosure

All use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools must be declared in a dedicated section:

“Statement on the Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools”

The disclosure must include:

Tool names and versions

Scope and purpose of usage

Assurance of human authorship and accountability

No disclosure is needed for traditional proofreading tools or non-generative software unless they create content.

E. AUTHORSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

8. Authorship Eligibility

AI tools:

Cannot be listed as authors

Cannot meet authorship criteria

Cannot be credited as contributors in acknowledgments (tools are cited like software)

All authors must:

Approve the final manuscript

Accept responsibility for all content

Be accountable for the integrity of both textual and visual materials

F. POLICY FOR REVIEWERS

9. Confidentiality

Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, images, or excerpts to public AI tools.
Confidentiality is a core ethical requirement.

10. Prohibition of AI-Generated Peer Reviews

Reviewers may not:

Use AI to evaluate scientific or creative merit

Generate review reports via AI

Summarize or paraphrase manuscripts using AI tools

Peer review must remain an expert-driven process based on human judgment.

G. POLICY FOR EDITORS

11. Editorial Use of AI

Editors must not use generative AI tools to:

Make editorial decisions

Evaluate the originality or rigor of submissions

Produce communication with authors or reviewers

AI-based similarity checks may be used only for plagiarism detection via approved institutional tools.

12. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Editors must not upload manuscripts or review materials to open AI systems.

H. COMPLIANCE AND CONSEQUENCES

13. Compliance

Failure to adhere to this policy may result in:

Rejection of the submission

Request for corrections

Retraction of a published article

Notification to an author’s institution

Restrictions on future submissions or reviewer participation

14. Policy Updates

This document will be revised regularly as AI technologies evolve within the design and creative research landscape.