TEJAS Journal of Technologies and Humanitarian Science

Definition of Generative AI

For the purpose of this policy, generative AI includes large language models, chatbots, image-generation systems, code-generation tools, automated translation systems, and other artificial intelligence technologies capable of creating or substantially modifying text, data, code, images, audio, video, or other scholarly content.

Routine software functions that do not generate or substantially modify scholarly content, such as basic spelling checks, reference-management tools, file conversion, and ordinary formatting functions, are not treated as substantive generative AI use under this policy.

Human Responsibility

Human authors remain fully responsible for every part of a submitted manuscript, including:

• Accuracy of the content
• Originality of the work
• Research methods
• Data and analysis
• Citations and references
• Images, figures, and tables
• Interpretations and conclusions
• Copyright and permissions
• Ethical and legal compliance
• Disclosure of generative AI use

Use of generative AI does not transfer responsibility to the AI tool, its developer, or its service provider.

Authors must independently review, verify, revise, and approve all AI-assisted content before submission.

Permitted Uses

Generative AI may be used responsibly for activities such as:

• Improving grammar, spelling, and sentence clarity
• Supporting language translation
• Improving the organization or readability of author-written material
• Assisting with preliminary outlines or structural suggestions
• Supporting code development or debugging
• Assisting with data-processing procedures
• Supporting the creation or improvement of tables, figures, or visual materials
• Assisting with literature organization or summarization
• Supporting other research activities where the use is transparently reported and methodologically appropriate

Permission to use generative AI does not mean that its output may be accepted without human verification.

Authors must ensure that AI-assisted material accurately represents their research, data, arguments, interpretations, and conclusions.

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose generative AI use when the technology has:

• Generated or substantially rewritten manuscript text
• Translated substantive manuscript content
• Assisted with literature summarization or synthesis
• Generated or modified code used in the research
• Assisted with data collection, processing, analysis, or interpretation
• Generated or materially altered tables, figures, images, audio, or video
• Contributed to research methods, models, simulations, or results
• Made another substantive contribution to the preparation or conduct of the work

Disclosure is not normally required for ordinary spelling correction, basic grammar checking, reference management, file conversion, or formatting functions that do not generate or substantially rewrite scholarly content.

However, authors should disclose the use whenever they are uncertain whether an AI-assisted activity was substantive.

Information to Be Disclosed

Where disclosure is required, authors should identify:

• Name of the AI tool
• Tool provider or developer, where known
• Version or access date, where relevant
• Purpose for which the tool was used
• Section or stage of the research affected
• Nature and extent of the AI contribution
• Steps taken by the authors to verify the output

Authors may be asked to provide additional information where AI use is directly relevant to the methodology, analysis, results, images, code, or reproducibility of the research.

Location of the Disclosure

AI-assisted writing, editing, or translation should normally be disclosed in the Acknowledgements section or another clearly identified declaration section.

AI use relating to research design, data collection, data analysis, code, models, figures, images, or results must be described in the Methods section or another technically appropriate section of the manuscript.

A brief declaration may also be provided during manuscript submission or in the cover letter.

Example Disclosure for Writing Assistance

Example Disclosure for Research or Analytical Use

No Generative AI Use

Where the journal requests a declaration and no substantive generative AI tool was used, authors may state:

Generative AI and Authorship

Generative AI tools, chatbots, large language models, image generators, automated systems, and other non-human technologies must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

An AI system cannot:

• Approve the final manuscript
• Accept responsibility for the work
• Confirm the originality of the content
• Disclose conflicts of interest
• Transfer or retain copyright
• Respond to editorial concerns
• Take responsibility for corrections or retractions

Only individuals who satisfy the journal's Authorship Criteria may receive authorship credit.

Citations and References

Authors must independently verify every citation and reference suggested or generated by an AI tool.

Authors must confirm that:

• The cited source actually exists
• Author names and publication details are correct
• The source supports the associated statement
• The DOI or publication link is accurate
• The source has not been fabricated, altered, or misrepresented
• Appropriate primary and original sources have been consulted

AI-generated output must not be treated as a substitute for consulting and citing the original scholarly source.

Authors remain responsible for fabricated, inaccurate, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading references included in their manuscript.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that AI-assisted content does not contain:

• Plagiarized text
• Unattributed ideas
• Copyrighted material used without permission
• Fabricated citations
• Falsified data
• Misrepresented findings
• Inappropriate duplication from existing publications

Presenting AI-generated content as independent original research without appropriate human contribution, verification, and disclosure is not acceptable.

The use of AI does not exempt authors from compliance with the journal's Plagiarism Policy, Copyright and Licensing Policy, Authorship Criteria, or Research Misconduct Policy.

Research Data and Analysis

Authors using AI for data processing, statistical analysis, predictive modelling, classification, simulation, or interpretation must describe the use sufficiently for editorial assessment and scholarly understanding.

The description should include, where relevant:

• Tool or model used
• Version or date of access
• Input data or type of input
• Purpose of the analysis
• Human validation procedure
• Relevant parameters or settings
• Limitations affecting interpretation
• Method used to confirm the reliability of the output

Authors must not use generative AI to fabricate, falsify, alter, or selectively manipulate research data or findings.

AI-assisted analysis does not remove the authors' responsibility to understand, verify, explain, and defend the methods and results.

Software and Code

Where generative AI assists with software or code used in the research, authors remain responsible for:

• Accuracy of the code
• Testing and validation
• Security and privacy
• Licensing and copyright compliance
• Reproducibility of the analysis
• Identification of errors or limitations
• Accurate reporting of the code's role in the research

AI-generated code must not be assumed to be original, error-free, secure, or free from third-party licensing restrictions.

Images, Figures, Audio, and Video

Authors must disclose substantive use of generative AI in creating or materially modifying images, figures, illustrations, audio, video, or other visual and multimedia material.

AI-assisted material must not:

• Fabricate research evidence
• Misrepresent experimental observations
• Add, remove, or conceal relevant features deceptively
• Create false participant, patient, laboratory, or field records
• Infringe copyright or other rights
• Be presented as an authentic research record when it is synthetic

Routine adjustments that do not alter the scientific meaning of an image should be reported according to the journal's applicable image and figure requirements.

Where synthetic or AI-generated material forms part of the research method, it must be clearly labelled and described.

Confidentiality, Privacy, and Intellectual Property

Authors must not upload confidential, sensitive, personally identifiable, proprietary, restricted, or unpublished material to an AI system unless they are authorized to do so and the applicable confidentiality, privacy, consent, contractual, and legal requirements are satisfied.

Protected material may include:

• Participant or patient information
• Confidential interview transcripts
• Unpublished research data
• Proprietary datasets
• Copyrighted manuscripts
• Restricted institutional documents
• Confidential correspondence
• Trade secrets or commercially sensitive information
• Material owned by another person or organisation

Authors are responsible for understanding how an AI service stores, processes, retains, or uses submitted material before using it.

AI Use by Reviewers

Manuscripts submitted for peer review are confidential scholarly communications.

Reviewers must not upload a submitted manuscript, supplementary file, unpublished data, author information, or confidential editorial correspondence into an external generative AI system where confidentiality, privacy, and data protection cannot be assured.

A reviewer who wishes to use AI assistance during review must first obtain permission from the Editorial Office and disclose:

• The tool proposed for use
• The intended purpose
• The information that would be processed
• The measures used to protect confidentiality

Generative AI must not replace the reviewer's independent scholarly evaluation.

Reviewers remain personally responsible for the accuracy, fairness, relevance, confidentiality, and intellectual content of their review reports.

A reviewer must not submit an AI-generated review without independently evaluating the manuscript and verifying the report.

AI Use by Editors and Editorial Staff

Editors and editorial staff must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, peer-review reports, author information, and editorial correspondence.

Confidential manuscript material must not be uploaded to an external generative AI system where confidentiality and data protection cannot be assured.

AI tools must not independently make final decisions concerning:

• Reviewer selection
• Manuscript acceptance
• Manuscript rejection
• Authorship disputes
• Ethical concerns
• Corrections or retractions
• Other substantive editorial actions

Final editorial responsibility must remain with an appropriately authorized human editor.

Where AI assistance is used in an editorial or production activity that materially affects author-submitted content, its use should be managed transparently and reviewed by responsible editorial personnel.

Unacceptable Uses

The following uses are not permitted:

• Fabricating or falsifying data, results, participants, experiments, or evidence
• Creating false or non-existent citations
• Concealing plagiarism or duplicate publication
• Generating a manuscript without meaningful human intellectual responsibility
• Listing an AI system as an author
• Using AI to impersonate an author, reviewer, editor, or another person
• Generating deceptive peer-review reports
• Manipulating images or data in a misleading manner
• Uploading confidential manuscript material without authorization
• Using AI output without checking its accuracy
• Misrepresenting the extent or nature of AI involvement
• Using AI to evade ethical, legal, copyright, or editorial requirements
• Failing to disclose substantive AI use when disclosure is required

Editorial Assessment

Where questions arise concerning generative AI use, the Editorial Office may:

• Request an AI-use declaration
• Request the name and purpose of the tool
• Ask for clarification concerning the affected content
• Request relevant prompts, outputs, code, data, or validation records where necessary
• Require revision or correction
• Suspend editorial processing while the matter is assessed
• Request removal or replacement of unreliable material
• Reject the manuscript where serious concerns remain unresolved
• Take action under another applicable journal policy

The editorial response will depend on the nature of the use, the level of transparency, the reliability of the affected content, and its effect on research integrity.

Undisclosed or Misrepresented AI Use

Failure to disclose substantive AI use may require editorial action, particularly where the omission affects originality, methods, data, citations, images, authorship, confidentiality, or the reliability of the manuscript.

Before publication, the journal may request clarification, require a corrected disclosure, seek revision, suspend processing, or reject the manuscript where appropriate.

After publication, the journal may assess whether a correction, clarification, expression of concern, retraction, or another editorial notice is required under its applicable policies.

An allegation of AI use will not be treated as established misconduct without appropriate assessment and supporting information.

Relationship with Other Policies

This policy should be read together with the journal’s:

• Authorship Criteria
• Author Guidelines
• Plagiarism Policy
• Research Misconduct Policy
• Data Availability Policy
• Copyright and Licensing Policy
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Peer Review Policy
• Corrections and Retractions Policy
• Privacy Policy

Policy Review

TJTHS may review and revise this policy as generative AI technologies, journal procedures, research practices, and relevant legal or ethical responsibilities develop.

Any revised version will be made available through the official journal website.

Editorial Office