Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

Last updated: April 13, 2026

This policy reflects emerging consensus from COPE position statements on AI and authorship, guidance from Nature, the Science family of journals, and the International Science Council.

1. AI Tools Cannot Be Listed as Authors

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot, cannot be listed as authors of manuscripts submitted to RSYN PRESS. Authorship requires accountability, and AI tools cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or integrity of published work. See our Authorship Policy.

2. Disclosure Requirement

Authors who have used AI tools in the preparation of their manuscript must disclose this in a dedicated AI Disclosure Statement in the Methods section or Acknowledgements. This statement should specify:

The tool(s) used (name and version where known)
The purpose for which each tool was used (e.g., language editing, literature search, data analysis, image generation)
That the human authors have verified and take full responsibility for all AI-generated content

Example: "The authors used ChatGPT-4o (OpenAI, 2024) for initial literature search query generation. The authors reviewed all results and are responsible for the final interpretation."

3. Permitted Uses

The following uses of AI tools are generally permitted, subject to disclosure:

Grammar and language editing
Literature search query generation (results must be human-verified)
Code generation for data analysis (code must be reviewed and validated)
Summarisation of author-owned source material
Image enhancement (where not misleading; see image policy below)

4. Prohibited Uses

The following uses of AI tools are not permitted:

Generating substantial portions of the scientific text without human review and revision
Fabricating references, citations, or data
AI-generated images that misrepresent experimental results
Using AI to circumvent plagiarism detection
Using AI to write peer reviews without disclosure

5. Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must not upload confidential manuscript content to AI tools, as this violates confidentiality obligations under our Peer Review Policy. Reviewers may use AI tools for their own writing only, provided confidential content is not shared.

6. Image and Figure Integrity

AI-generated or AI-enhanced images and figures must be disclosed. Image manipulation that misrepresents original data is a form of research misconduct under our Research Misconduct Policy.

7. Evolving Policy

This policy will be updated as AI capabilities and community norms evolve. We follow the COPE and STM Association guidance as it develops.