GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) POLICY

AL-WAARITS: Alfabet Jurnal Wawasan Agama Risalah Islamiah, Teknologi dan Sosial

The development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted technologies has introduced new opportunities and challenges in scholarly research, academic writing, and scientific publishing. Al-Waarits recognizes that these technologies can support research and scholarly communication when used responsibly, transparently, and ethically.

This policy establishes the principles and requirements governing the use of GenAI and AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation, research activities, peer review, editorial assessment, and publication. It applies to all authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff involved in the publication process of Al-Waarits.

1. Background and Purpose

AL-WAARITS acknowledges the potential of AI technologies to support scholarly activities related to Islamic studies, technological developments, and contemporary social issues. However, the use of these technologies must not compromise academic integrity, research reliability, intellectual contribution, or publication ethics.

This policy aims to:

• Protect the originality, accuracy, and integrity of scholarly publications.
• Promote transparency and accountability in the use of AI technologies.
• Ensure that human authors retain full intellectual responsibility for their work.
• Protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and peer-review materials.
• Prevent plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and inappropriate manipulation of research findings.
• Maintain responsible and ethical practices throughout the publication process.

2. Scope and Definitions

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) refers to AI-based technologies capable of generating or transforming content, including text, images, code, audio, video, and other materials in response to user instructions or prompts.

Examples include ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, Perplexity AI, and other comparable AI-based systems. This list is not exhaustive and may change as new technologies emerge.

This policy covers the use of AI technologies in manuscript preparation, literature exploration, data processing, research analysis, image creation, peer review, editorial activities, and other stages of scholarly publishing.

3. Provisions for Authors

3.1 Permitted Uses

Authors may use GenAI and AI-assisted technologies as supporting tools in preparing their manuscripts, provided that the authors maintain meaningful human oversight and independently verify the generated content.

Permitted uses include:

• Improving grammar, spelling, punctuation, and language clarity.
• Improving readability and academic expression.
• Developing initial outlines and organizing manuscript structures.
• Supporting literature exploration and summarization as a starting point, subject to verification against original sources.
• Assisting with coding, programming, and technical research tasks.
• Supporting data processing, classification, and analysis when the methods and results are independently verified.
• Assisting with translation and language-related tasks.

AI technologies must not replace the authors' independent scholarly reasoning, theoretical interpretation, methodological decisions, critical analysis, or conclusions.

3.2 Prohibited Uses

Authors must not:

• List any AI system as an author or co-author.
• Submit substantial AI-generated scholarly content as original work without meaningful human intellectual contribution, verification, and required disclosure.
• Generate fictitious research data, experimental results, research participants, or findings.
• Use AI-generated references, citations, or quotations without verifying their existence and accuracy.
• Use AI to conceal plagiarism, manipulate citations, or misrepresent scholarly evidence.
• Fabricate, falsify, or selectively manipulate research findings.
• Use AI-generated content without checking its accuracy, relevance, and reliability.
• Upload confidential, personal, unpublished, or restricted research materials to external AI systems without proper authorization and safeguards.

3.3 Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose the use of GenAI or AI-assisted technologies when these tools contribute substantively to manuscript preparation or the research process.

Basic spelling, grammar, punctuation, and conventional reference-management functions do not require disclosure when they do not generate substantive content.

The disclosure statement should identify:

• The name of the AI tool and its version, where available.
• The purpose and type of AI assistance.
• The specific part or stage of the manuscript or research in which AI was used.
• Confirmation that the authors reviewed, verified, and revised the AI-assisted content.
• Confirmation that the authors retain full responsibility for the final work.

The declaration should normally be placed in the Acknowledgments section or immediately before the References section under the heading "Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies." When AI contributes to research methods, data analysis, or other methodological procedures, its use must also be described in the Methods section.

3.4 Author Responsibility

Authors remain fully responsible for the entire content of their manuscripts, regardless of whether AI technologies were used. This responsibility includes the accuracy of statements, research findings, interpretations, references, ethical compliance, copyright, and the originality of the submitted work. The use of AI does not transfer academic, legal, or ethical responsibility from the authors to an AI system.

4. AI-Generated Images and Research Materials

Authors must ensure that all images, figures, illustrations, tables, diagrams, graphical abstracts, and supplementary materials accurately represent the underlying research.

The use of GenAI to create, modify, enhance, or substantially transform visual materials must be disclosed when it is relevant to the interpretation, evidence, or presentation of the research.

Authors are responsible for:

• Ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of visual materials.
• Disclosing relevant AI-generated or substantially modified images.
• Respecting copyright, licensing, privacy, and intellectual property rights.
• Retaining original files and source materials when necessary.
• Ensuring that AI does not fabricate or manipulate research evidence.

The Editorial Board may request original image files, raw data, source files, or supporting documentation when necessary to assess research integrity.

5. Provisions for Reviewers

Peer review at AL-WAARITS is a confidential scholarly process. Reviewers must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, research findings, reviewer reports, and all related editorial communications.

5.1 Manuscript Confidentiality

Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts or any part of confidential review materials to public or external GenAI platforms. This prohibition includes manuscript files, tables, figures, supplementary materials, unpublished findings, reviewer forms, confidential correspondence, and personal information.

5.2 Limited AI Assistance

Reviewers may use AI-assisted technologies for limited language-related support, such as improving the grammar of their own review comments, provided that confidential manuscript content is not disclosed.

5.3 Independent Scholarly Judgment

Scientific evaluation, methodological assessment, comments, and recommendations must reflect the reviewer's independent scholarly judgment. GenAI must not replace the reviewer's critical assessment or generate substantive peer-review decisions. Reviewers remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their reports.

6. Provisions for Editors

Editors must maintain confidentiality, editorial independence, impartiality, and accountability throughout the editorial process.

6.1 Confidentiality

Editors must not upload submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, author correspondence, or other confidential editorial materials to public or external GenAI platforms without appropriate authorization and safeguards.

6.2 Permitted Administrative Uses

Editors may use AI-assisted technologies for limited administrative and non-confidential activities, including:

• Drafting routine correspondence that does not contain confidential manuscript information.
• Improving the language of general journal information and policy documents.
• Supporting administrative tasks that do not replace editorial judgment.

6.3 Editorial Decisions

Decisions to accept, reject, or request revisions must be made by qualified human editors based on independent scholarly judgment, reviewer assessments, and the journal's editorial standards. GenAI must not determine or replace editorial decisions.

6.4 AI-Content Detection

Editors may use AI-content detection tools as supplementary screening aids. However, detection results alone must not serve as the sole basis for rejecting a manuscript or establishing research misconduct. Any concern must be assessed through appropriate editorial investigation and supporting evidence.

7. Confidentiality and Data Protection

All unpublished manuscripts and materials submitted to Al-Waarits are confidential. Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff must protect information obtained during the editorial and peer-review processes.

Before using an AI service, users must consider:

• Confidentiality and data protection requirements.
• Copyright and intellectual property rights.
• Privacy and personal data protection.
• The terms and conditions of the AI service.
• Whether submitted information may be retained, reused, or used for model training.

Confidential manuscripts, unpublished findings, personal information, and restricted data must not be submitted to external AI services unless explicitly authorized and protected by appropriate safeguards.

8. Violations and Consequences

Any misuse of GenAI that compromises research integrity, academic originality, confidentiality, or publication ethics may be considered a violation of this policy.

Violations may include:

• Failure to disclose substantive AI use when disclosure is required.
• Listing an AI system as an author or co-author.
• Submitting fabricated or falsified AI-generated research findings.
• Using fictitious or unverified references and citations.
• Uploading confidential manuscripts or review materials to unauthorized external AI systems.
• Using AI to facilitate plagiarism, citation manipulation, or inappropriate image manipulation.

Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, the Editorial Board may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification or additional disclosure from the authors.
• Request manuscript corrections or revisions.
• Reject a manuscript that violates the journal's ethical standards.
• Initiate an investigation in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures.
• Issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when justified by the findings of an investigation.
• Take other appropriate editorial actions in accordance with applicable publication ethics guidelines.

9. Policy Review

AI technologies and scholarly publishing practices continue to evolve. Al-Waarits will periodically review this policy to maintain its relevance to developments in AI technology, research integrity, privacy protection, copyright, and responsible scholarly publishing.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to revise this policy when necessary. The current policy takes effect upon publication on the official AL-WAARITS website and applies to manuscripts submitted thereafter.

10. References and Guidelines

This policy has been developed with consideration of internationally recognized principles and guidance on responsible AI use, research integrity, and scholarly publishing, including:

1. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Guidance and principles concerning artificial intelligence, authorship, and publication ethics. COPE Official Website.
2. International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM). Recommendations for a Classification of AI Use in Academic Manuscript Preparation, 2025. STM Official Website.
3. Elsevier. Policy on the Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Writing and Peer Review. Elsevier Generative AI Policies.
4. World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Recommendations on Chatbots, Generative AI, and Scholarly Manuscripts. WAME Official Website.

This policy complements the existing Al-Waarits policies on publication ethics, research integrity, plagiarism, copyright, peer review, corrections, and retractions.

AL-WAARITS

Published by Pandawan Sejahtera Indonesia

Email: al.waarits@pandawan.id