The Responsible Use of AI-Tool Policy

1. For Author
   Authors must disclose any substantive use of AI tools in manuscript preparation through an AI Declaration Statement submitted with the manuscript. The disclosure should identify the AI tool used, its purpose, and the extent of human oversight. Such statements may be published to promote transparency and accountability. Routine grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks do not require disclosure unless the AI tool significantly alters the content, structure, or organization of the text, indicated by the high percentage of AI index. The use of AI-based accessibility tools does not require disclosure when used solely for accessibility purposes. Where AI is used as part of the research process, its application must be described appropriately in the Methods section. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of their work regardless of any AI assistance used.
2. For Editor
   Editors are responsible for ensuring the integrity, fairness, and quality of the editorial process and must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Manuscripts and their contents must not be uploaded to AI tools or external platforms where confidentiality, intellectual property rights, or data privacy may be compromised. Editorial decisions require independent human judgment and cannot be delegated to AI tools. While AI may be used in a limited, supportive capacity, such as improving the language of editorial correspondence or assisting with literature searches, editors remain fully responsible and accountable for all editorial assessments, decisions, and communications. Editors may therefore only use AI tools in a supportive capacity, for example to improve the language or structure of their decision letters, or to assist with a background literature search, provided that confidentiality is maintained and human control and oversight are exercised.
3. For Reviewer
   Peer review is conducted under strict standards of confidentiality. Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and related materials as confidential documents and must not disclose, share, or use unpublished content for personal or professional advantage. To protect authors' confidentiality, intellectual property, and privacy rights, reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts or any portion of their contents to AI tools or external platforms. Reviewers are expected to provide independent, objective, and critical evaluations of the scholarly work. AI tools cannot replace professional judgment in the peer-review process, and reviewers remain fully responsible and accountable for the content, accuracy, and integrity of their review reports.