AI & Generative AI Policy

Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL) recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, large language models (LLMs), and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are increasingly used in research, academic writing, data analysis, software development, translation, editing, visualization, and scholarly communication.

JEDL supports the responsible use of AI-assisted technologies while maintaining the principles of research integrity, transparency, human accountability, originality, confidentiality, privacy, and academic responsibility.

The use of AI or generative AI is not inherently unethical. However, authors, reviewers, editors, and other participants must ensure that AI-assisted work does not compromise the accuracy, originality, confidentiality, ethical standards, or integrity of scholarly publishing.

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to, reviewed by, accepted by, or published in JEDL.

1. Purpose

The purposes of this policy are to:

  • establish clear requirements for responsible use of AI and GenAI;

  • distinguish acceptable AI assistance from unacceptable AI-generated scholarly content;

  • ensure transparency concerning the use of AI tools;

  • preserve human responsibility for published research;

  • prevent fabricated information, references, data, images, and results;

  • protect confidential manuscripts and unpublished research;

  • prevent AI-assisted plagiarism and copyright violations;

  • clarify that AI systems cannot be authors;

  • establish requirements for editors and reviewers using AI tools;

  • protect the integrity of the peer-review process;

  • provide procedures for addressing inappropriate or undisclosed AI use.

2. Definition of Artificial Intelligence

For the purposes of this policy, Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers broadly to computational systems capable of performing tasks that may normally require human cognitive abilities, including learning, reasoning, prediction, classification, language processing, content generation, or pattern recognition.

Examples include:

  • machine-learning systems;

  • large language models;

  • generative AI systems;

  • AI writing assistants;

  • AI translation systems;

  • AI image-generation systems;

  • AI coding assistants;

  • AI-based statistical or analytical tools;

  • multimodal AI systems.

3. Definition of Generative AI

Generative AI (GenAI) refers to AI systems capable of generating new content in response to prompts, instructions, data, or other inputs.

Generated content may include:

  • text;

  • images;

  • audio;

  • video;

  • computer code;

  • summaries;

  • translations;

  • tables;

  • diagrams;

  • synthetic data;

  • other forms of digital content.

Examples include generative language models, image-generation systems, coding assistants, and multimodal AI tools.

4. Core Principle: Human Accountability

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility from humans to machines.

Human authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscripts and published articles.

Authors are responsible for:

  • accuracy;

  • originality;

  • appropriate attribution;

  • citation accuracy;

  • interpretation of findings;

  • research methodology;

  • ethical compliance;

  • confidentiality;

  • intellectual property compliance;

  • disclosure of AI use;

  • the integrity of the final manuscript.

AI systems cannot accept responsibility for scholarly work.

5. AI Cannot Be an Author

JEDL does not recognize artificial intelligence systems as authors or co-authors.

AI systems cannot:

  • take responsibility for research;

  • approve the final manuscript;

  • disclose conflicts of interest;

  • respond to editorial questions;

  • sign publication agreements;

  • guarantee the accuracy of research;

  • accept accountability for misconduct.

Therefore, AI tools must never be listed as an author or co-author.

Any human author who uses AI remains responsible for the resulting content.

6. Acceptable Uses of AI by Authors

Subject to the requirements of this policy, authors may use AI tools for limited and responsible purposes, including:

  • grammar and spelling correction;

  • language improvement;

  • improving readability;

  • translation;

  • formatting assistance;

  • brainstorming;

  • generating preliminary outlines;

  • improving sentence structure;

  • assisting with code development;

  • assisting with non-substantive data processing;

  • generating preliminary summaries for the author's own review;

  • assisting with visualization where the underlying information remains accurate;

  • other reasonable forms of editorial or technical assistance.

Authors must independently verify all AI-assisted content.

Use of AI must never replace the author's scholarly judgment or responsibility.

7. AI-Assisted Writing

AI may be used to assist with language or writing provided that:

  • the authors remain responsible for the final text;

  • the content is checked for factual accuracy;

  • citations are verified;

  • the text does not contain fabricated claims;

  • the use of AI does not result in plagiarism;

  • confidential information is not improperly disclosed;

  • the resulting manuscript represents the authors' genuine scholarly work.

Authors should not submit substantial AI-generated material as their own original scholarly contribution without appropriate disclosure and verification.

8. AI-Generated Text

Authors must exercise particular caution when AI generates substantive text.

AI-generated text may contain:

  • factual errors;

  • fabricated information;

  • invented references;

  • incorrect quotations;

  • misleading interpretations;

  • outdated information;

  • biased or stereotypical statements;

  • unsupported conclusions.

Authors must independently verify all substantive AI-assisted content before submission.

AI-generated material that is inaccurate or misleading must not be included in a manuscript.

9. Disclosure of AI Use

Where AI or GenAI has been used in a manner that materially contributes to the manuscript, authors should disclose the use.

The disclosure should identify:

  • the AI tool or system used;

  • the purpose of its use;

  • the relevant stage of manuscript preparation;

  • where appropriate, the extent or nature of the assistance.

A suitable statement may be:

AI Use Disclosure: During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [AI tool name] for [e.g., language editing/grammar improvement]. The authors reviewed and verified all AI-assisted content and remain fully responsible for the final manuscript.

Where AI was used only for routine spelling or grammar correction, a disclosure may not be necessary unless JEDL specifically requests it.

10. AI Disclosure Does Not Transfer Responsibility

Disclosure of AI use does not reduce or transfer the author's responsibility.

Authors remain responsible for:

  • every factual claim;

  • every citation;

  • every quotation;

  • every table and figure;

  • every conclusion;

  • every interpretation;

  • all data;

  • all code;

  • all supplementary material.

An AI disclosure should not be understood as an endorsement by JEDL of the accuracy or reliability of the AI system.

11. AI-Generated References and Citations

Authors must independently verify every reference generated or suggested by AI.

AI systems can produce:

  • nonexistent articles;

  • incorrect authors;

  • incorrect titles;

  • incorrect journal names;

  • incorrect publication dates;

  • fabricated DOIs;

  • inaccurate quotations.

AI-generated references must never be accepted without verification.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy and relevance of all citations and references.

12. AI and Plagiarism

Using AI does not exempt authors from JEDL's plagiarism requirements.

Authors must not:

  • use AI to disguise copied material;

  • paraphrase another person's work through AI and present it as original without citation;

  • use AI to remove evidence of plagiarism;

  • submit AI-generated content derived from copyrighted material without appropriate consideration of rights and attribution;

  • use AI to manipulate similarity-checking systems.

AI-assisted plagiarism may be treated as publication misconduct under JEDL's Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy.

13. AI and Research Data

AI must not be used to fabricate or falsify research data.

Unacceptable practices include:

  • generating fictional observations and presenting them as real;

  • creating synthetic results without disclosure;

  • modifying research data deceptively;

  • generating participants or survey responses that did not exist;

  • inventing experimental results;

  • using AI to selectively manipulate findings;

  • presenting AI-generated outputs as empirical evidence without appropriate methodological disclosure.

Synthetic or simulated data may be legitimate in some research contexts when the methodology clearly identifies the data as synthetic or simulated and the research design supports its use.

14. AI-Assisted Data Analysis

AI-based tools may be used for legitimate data analysis where appropriate.

Authors must:

  • understand the analytical method;

  • verify the output;

  • report the methodology accurately;

  • disclose material AI assistance where appropriate;

  • ensure reproducibility where reasonably possible;

  • avoid treating AI-generated interpretations as automatically correct.

Authors remain responsible for the validity of the analysis and conclusions.

15. AI and Statistical Analysis

When AI is used to assist with statistical analysis, authors should verify:

  • the statistical method;

  • assumptions;

  • calculations;

  • model specifications;

  • interpretation;

  • reported values;

  • reproducibility.

AI-generated statistical outputs must not be accepted without independent verification.

Where AI materially affects the analytical methodology, its use should be disclosed in the manuscript or appropriate methodological documentation.

16. AI-Generated Images and Figures

AI-generated or AI-modified images, figures, diagrams, or visual materials require special care.

Authors must not use AI-generated images to falsely represent:

  • research results;

  • experimental observations;

  • clinical evidence;

  • microscopy;

  • scientific measurements;

  • participants;

  • historical evidence;

  • original photographs;

  • other empirical evidence.

Where AI-generated visual material is used for legitimate illustrative purposes, authors should disclose its origin when appropriate and ensure compliance with applicable copyright and licensing requirements.

17. AI Image Manipulation

AI must not be used to manipulate research images in a deceptive manner.

Prohibited practices include:

  • adding nonexistent experimental features;

  • removing relevant evidence;

  • altering results;

  • generating replacement portions of research images;

  • combining images deceptively;

  • creating artificial evidence;

  • altering photographs to misrepresent observations.

Any image-processing technique that materially changes research evidence must be appropriately disclosed and scientifically justified.

18. AI-Generated Code and Software

Authors may use AI coding assistants where appropriate.

However, authors remain responsible for:

  • verifying the code;

  • testing the code;

  • ensuring security;

  • checking licensing implications;

  • documenting important methodological details;

  • ensuring reproducibility;

  • ensuring that the code does what the manuscript claims.

AI-generated code must not be presented as independently developed original code when doing so would be misleading.

Where AI assistance materially contributed to software development central to the research, authors should disclose this appropriately.

19. AI and Copyright

Authors are responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted material complies with applicable copyright and intellectual-property requirements.

Authors should consider:

  • the terms of the AI service;

  • the source material used as input;

  • ownership and licensing restrictions;

  • third-party copyrighted content;

  • rights associated with generated or transformed material.

JEDL does not guarantee that content produced by any particular AI system is free from third-party rights claims.

20. Confidentiality and AI

Authors must not enter confidential or unpublished material into an AI system when doing so would violate:

  • confidentiality obligations;

  • research agreements;

  • participant privacy;

  • institutional policies;

  • copyright restrictions;

  • journal requirements.

This includes:

  • unpublished manuscripts;

  • confidential peer-review reports;

  • private research data;

  • identifiable participant information;

  • proprietary information;

  • confidential correspondence.

Authors are responsible for understanding the privacy and data-handling practices of the AI service they use.

21. Personal and Sensitive Data

Authors must exercise particular caution when using AI with personal or sensitive information.

AI systems should not receive identifiable participant information unless the use is lawful, ethically approved where required, and appropriately protected.

Authors should anonymize or de-identify information wherever appropriate.

22. AI Use by Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must protect the confidentiality of manuscripts.

Reviewers must not upload or submit confidential manuscript content, peer-review materials, unpublished data, or identifiable author information to external AI systems unless the journal has explicitly authorized such use and appropriate confidentiality protections are in place.

Reviewers must not use AI to replace their independent scholarly evaluation.

If AI tools are permitted for limited assistance, reviewers remain fully responsible for the review.

23. AI and Reviewer Reports

Reviewers should not rely on AI systems to:

  • independently evaluate a manuscript;

  • determine whether a manuscript should be accepted or rejected;

  • make final recommendations;

  • generate undisclosed substantive criticism;

  • assess confidential research without appropriate authorization.

Reviewer reports must represent the reviewer's own professional judgment.

AI-generated reviewer comments should not be submitted as a substitute for genuine peer review.

24. AI Use by Editors

Editors must maintain confidentiality and editorial independence when using AI tools.

Editors must not submit confidential manuscript information to external AI systems unless such use is explicitly authorized and appropriately protected.

Editors must independently make editorial decisions.

AI must not be used as the sole basis for:

  • accepting a manuscript;

  • rejecting a manuscript;

  • selecting reviewers;

  • determining misconduct;

  • determining authorship;

  • making ethical decisions.

25. AI Detection Tools

JEDL recognizes that AI-detection technologies may produce inaccurate or inconclusive results.

An AI-detection score alone should not normally be treated as definitive evidence of misconduct.

Where AI misuse is suspected, JEDL may consider:

  • the manuscript;

  • disclosure statements;

  • writing and research evidence;

  • citations;

  • data;

  • methodology;

  • correspondence;

  • other relevant information.

Authors should be given an appropriate opportunity to respond to significant concerns.

26. Undisclosed AI Use

Failure to disclose AI use does not automatically constitute misconduct.

However, undisclosed use may become an ethical concern where:

  • AI substantially generated the scholarly content;

  • the AI-generated material contains fabricated information;

  • the use violates confidentiality;

  • the use violates copyright or licensing requirements;

  • AI was used to fabricate data or evidence;

  • AI was used to manipulate peer review;

  • the author deliberately concealed material AI assistance.

Such cases may be investigated under JEDL's publication ethics procedures.

27. AI and Research Misconduct

The following practices may constitute serious research or publication misconduct:

  • fabricating research data using AI;

  • generating fictional participants;

  • generating false experimental results;

  • fabricating references;

  • generating false quotations;

  • creating deceptive research images;

  • manipulating evidence;

  • concealing material AI assistance;

  • using AI to facilitate plagiarism;

  • using AI to manipulate peer review;

  • impersonating authors or reviewers;

  • submitting AI-generated content while falsely claiming original empirical work.

Confirmed misconduct may result in rejection, withdrawal, correction, retraction, or other appropriate action.

28. AI and Authorship

AI systems cannot qualify for authorship.

Human authors must satisfy JEDL's Authorship & Contributorship Policy.

AI assistance should not be used as a means of artificially increasing or reducing the number of credited human contributors.

All authors remain responsible for the integrity of the manuscript.

29. AI and Acknowledgments

Where AI assistance is substantial but does not constitute authorship, authors may disclose the assistance in an appropriate AI Use Disclosure or Acknowledgments statement.

The disclosure should accurately describe what the AI system did.

Authors must not imply that an AI system independently contributed scholarly judgment or accepted responsibility for the work.

30. AI Translation

AI-assisted translation may be used as an editorial aid.

Authors remain responsible for:

  • accuracy of the translation;

  • preservation of scholarly meaning;

  • terminology;

  • quotations;

  • references;

  • culturally or technically sensitive language.

Where AI translation materially affects the preparation of the manuscript, authors should disclose it where appropriate.

31. AI and Literature Reviews

AI tools may assist authors in identifying or organizing potentially relevant literature.

However, authors must independently:

  • verify sources;

  • read and assess relevant publications;

  • confirm bibliographic information;

  • assess the quality of evidence;

  • avoid relying solely on AI-generated summaries.

AI must not be treated as an authoritative scholarly source unless the research specifically concerns the AI system itself and its output is methodologically relevant.

32. AI and Research Methodology

When AI forms a substantive part of the research methodology, authors should provide sufficient information for readers to understand:

  • the AI system or model used;

  • relevant version or release information where available;

  • the purpose of its use;

  • inputs and outputs where relevant;

  • important settings or parameters where necessary;

  • the analytical or experimental procedure;

  • how outputs were validated;

  • limitations of the AI system.

The level of detail should be proportionate to the importance of AI to the research.

33. Reproducibility of AI-Assisted Research

Where feasible and appropriate, authors should provide enough information to allow readers to understand or reproduce the AI-assisted methodology.

Depending on the research, this may include:

  • model name;

  • model version;

  • software environment;

  • relevant prompts or prompt methodology;

  • datasets;

  • parameters;

  • analytical procedures;

  • validation methods.

Authors should consider that commercial AI systems may change over time, which can affect reproducibility.

34. AI Limitations and Bias

Authors should recognize that AI systems may exhibit:

  • factual inaccuracies;

  • hallucinations;

  • algorithmic bias;

  • cultural bias;

  • language bias;

  • incomplete knowledge;

  • systematic errors.

Where AI is central to the research, relevant limitations should be discussed.

Authors should not assume that AI-generated content is neutral, accurate, or complete.

35. Ethical Use of AI in Research

AI should be used consistently with:

  • research ethics;

  • participant protection;

  • privacy requirements;

  • intellectual-property obligations;

  • applicable laws and regulations;

  • institutional research policies;

  • JEDL publication policies.

AI should not be used to circumvent ethical review or institutional oversight.

36. AI and Peer-Review Integrity

AI must not be used to compromise the independence or confidentiality of peer review.

Prohibited practices include:

  • generating fake reviewer identities;

  • creating artificial reviewer reports;

  • manipulating reviewer recommendations;

  • impersonating reviewers;

  • using AI to conceal conflicts of interest;

  • using confidential manuscript information to obtain competitive advantage.

Such conduct may be treated as serious publication misconduct.

37. AI and Editorial Decision-Making

AI tools may assist with administrative or technical tasks where appropriate, but editorial decisions remain human decisions.

JEDL will not delegate final responsibility for editorial decisions to an AI system.

Editors remain accountable for:

  • peer-review selection;

  • editorial assessment;

  • ethical investigations;

  • acceptance and rejection;

  • corrections;

  • retractions;

  • expressions of concern.

38. Disclosure Examples

38.1 Language Editing

AI Use Disclosure: The authors used [AI tool] for language and grammar improvement during manuscript preparation. All content was subsequently reviewed and verified by the authors, who remain responsible for the final manuscript.

38.2 Substantive AI Assistance

AI Use Disclosure: The authors used [AI tool/model] to assist with [specific task]. The authors independently evaluated and verified the resulting output and remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, interpretation, and integrity of the published work.

38.3 No Material AI Use

AI Use Disclosure: The authors did not use generative AI to generate substantive content, data, results, or conclusions for this manuscript.

Authors may use equivalent wording that accurately reflects their circumstances.

39. Editorial Assessment of AI Disclosures

JEDL may assess an AI disclosure to determine whether:

  • the use was appropriate;

  • additional disclosure is required;

  • methodological information should be provided;

  • confidentiality or copyright concerns exist;

  • research integrity may have been affected.

The presence of an AI disclosure does not itself indicate misconduct.

40. Post-Publication AI Concerns

If concerns regarding AI use arise after publication, JEDL may investigate.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may:

  • request clarification;

  • request supporting information;

  • publish an AI-use disclosure;

  • publish a correction;

  • issue an Expression of Concern;

  • retract the article where serious integrity concerns are established.

The response will be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the issue.

41. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must:

  • use AI responsibly;

  • verify AI-generated content;

  • disclose material AI assistance;

  • protect confidential information;

  • protect participant privacy;

  • verify references;

  • maintain research integrity;

  • comply with copyright and licensing requirements;

  • ensure that AI does not replace scholarly accountability.

42. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • maintain manuscript confidentiality;

  • avoid uploading confidential material to unauthorized AI systems;

  • independently evaluate manuscripts;

  • disclose relevant AI use when required;

  • avoid allowing AI to replace professional judgment;

  • report suspected AI-related misconduct to the editor.

43. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors must:

  • maintain confidentiality;

  • manage AI use responsibly;

  • protect editorial independence;

  • avoid inappropriate reliance on AI;

  • evaluate AI-related concerns fairly;

  • provide authors an opportunity to respond to significant allegations;

  • maintain the integrity of the publication record.

44. Responsibilities of the Journal

JEDL will:

  • maintain clear AI-use requirements;

  • promote responsible use of emerging technologies;

  • protect confidential editorial information;

  • consider AI-related ethical concerns fairly;

  • avoid treating automated AI-detection results as conclusive evidence by themselves;

  • update this policy as AI technology and scholarly publishing practices evolve.

45. Relationship With Other JEDL Policies

This policy should be read together with:

  • Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy;

  • Authorship & Contributorship Policy;

  • Peer Review Policy;

  • Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy;

  • Conflict of Interest Policy;

  • Research Ethics & Ethical Approval Policy;

  • Copyright & Licensing Policy;

  • Data Availability & Reproducibility Policy;

  • Privacy Policy;

  • Complaints & Appeals Policy;

  • Correction, Retraction & Withdrawal Policy.

Where another JEDL policy provides more specific requirements, those requirements also apply.

46. Final Statement

JEDL supports the responsible use of AI and generative AI as tools that may assist scholarly work, while maintaining the principle that human researchers and authors remain responsible for the integrity, accuracy, originality, and ethical conduct of their work.

AI must not be used to fabricate evidence, manipulate research, compromise confidentiality, circumvent peer review, or misrepresent authorship.

JEDL will continue to monitor developments in artificial intelligence and scholarly publishing and may revise this policy as appropriate.

Effective Date: June 2026
Journal: Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL)
Website: https://jedl.us/