AI usage
Guidelines
These guidelines only refer to the writing process (i.e., generating text using an AI tool), and not to the use of AI tools to analyze and draw insights from data as part of the research process. They do not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc.
Authors are allowed to use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process before submission, but only to improve the language and readability of their paper and with the appropriate disclosure. Applying the technology should be done with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be listed as an author or co-author, or be cited as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans. Please note that authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.
Detailed information should be provided in the cover letter and in a statement at the end of the manuscript (following Conclusions). Such statement will appear in the published work. The statement should be placed in a new section entitled “AI usage in the writing process” and follow this pattern:
During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.
The full prompt used in the production of the work, as well as the AI tool and its version, should also be disclosed.
If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement.
Authors are accountable for the accuracy of the work and for ensuring that there is no plagiarism. They must also ensure that all sources are appropriately cited and should carefully review the work to guard against bias that may be introduced by AI. Editors may decline to move forward with manuscripts if AI is used inappropriately.
Adv Clin Exp Med does not permit the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts. This may include enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing a specific feature within an image or figure. There are 2 exceptions to this rule. Adjustments of brightness, contrast or color balance are acceptable if they do not obscure or eliminate any information present in the original. Another allowed exception is when the use of AI or AI-assisted tools is part of the research design or research methods (such as in AI-assisted imaging approaches to generate or interpret the underlying research data, for example in the field of biomedical imaging). If this is done, such use must be described in a reproducible manner in the methods section. This should include an explanation of how the AI or AI-assisted tools were used in the image creation or alteration process, and the name of the model or tool, version and extension numbers, and manufacturer. Authors should adhere to the AI software’s specific usage policies and ensure correct content attribution. Where applicable, authors could be asked to provide pre-AI-adjusted versions of images and/or the composite raw images used to create the final submitted versions, for editorial assessment.
Authorship and AI tools – COPE position statement
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT or Large Language Models, in research publications is expanding rapidly. COPE joins organisations, such as WAME and the JAMA Network among others, to state that AI tools cannot be listed as an author of a paper.
AI tools cannot meet the requirements for authorship, as they cannot take responsibility for the submitted work. As non-legal entities, they cannot assert the presence or absence of conflicts of interest nor manage copyright and license agreements.
Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Materials and methods (or similar section) of the paper how the AI tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics.
The above statement has been published by the Committee on Publication Etics (COPE) and is available on the official website of COPE: