Generative AI Policy

INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY (ITEE)

Human accountability
People remain responsible

Disclosure
Use must be declared

No AI authorship
AI cannot be an author

Confidentiality
No manuscripts in AI tools

This policy sets out how authors, reviewers, and editors of International Transactions on Education Technology (ITEE) may use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot. ITEE recognises that these tools can support scholarly work, but their use must not compromise the accuracy, originality, confidentiality, or integrity of research. This policy follows the position of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) on authorship and AI tools and the recommendations of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

1. Use of Generative AI by Authors

Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, including any part produced with the help of AI tools. Authors must check all AI output for accuracy, bias, and correct attribution, and must not rely on AI in place of their own critical thinking and judgment.

Permitted, with disclosure

✔ Improving the language, readability, and structure of text written by the authors.

✔ Organising ideas or outlining a section.

✔ Supporting a preliminary literature search, provided every source is checked and read by the authors.

✔ Assisting with code or data analysis, provided the method is described and the results are verified.

Not permitted

✘ Listing an AI tool as an author or co-author.

✘ Citing an AI tool as a source of information.

✘ Fabricating, falsifying, or altering data, results, or references.

✘ Generating substantial parts of the manuscript, such as the literature review, discussion, or conclusion, without genuine intellectual contribution from the authors.

✘ Using AI to create or manipulate images that represent research data.

2. Disclosure Requirements

Any use of generative AI beyond basic spelling and grammar checking must be disclosed in a Declaration of Generative AI Use, placed in a separate paragraph immediately before the References section. Where AI was used as part of the research method, for example to analyse data, the use must also be described in the Method section.

Disclosure not required	Disclosure required
Spelling and grammar checkers (for example, the checker in a word processor)	Rewriting, paraphrasing, or translating text with a generative AI tool
Reference management software (for example, Mendeley or Zotero)	Using AI to summarise literature, generate outlines, or draft text
Standard statistical software	Using AI to write code, analyse data, or create diagrams

Template: Declaration of Generative AI Use

During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL, VERSION] for [PURPOSE, for example improving the language of Sections 1 and 2]. After using this tool, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.

If no generative AI was used, authors may write: “The author(s) did not use generative AI tools in the preparation of this work.”

3. Figures and Images

Permitted, with disclosure

AI may be used to help create illustrative figures, such as conceptual frameworks, flowcharts, or system diagrams. The use must be stated in the figure caption and in the Declaration of Generative AI Use.

Not permitted

AI must not be used to create or alter figures that present research results, such as charts of real data, screenshots of systems, photographs, or experimental outputs.

4. Use of Generative AI by Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers

Manuscripts under review are confidential. Reviewers must not upload any part of a manuscript or their review report to a generative AI tool.

The evaluation of the manuscript and the recommendation must be the reviewer's own work. AI may be used only to improve the language of the reviewer's own comments.

Reviewers who use AI in this limited way should state so in the confidential comments to the Editor.

Editors

Editors must not upload manuscripts, review reports, or decision letters containing confidential information to a generative AI tool.

Editorial decisions must be based on the editor's own judgment. AI may be used only for administrative or language support that does not involve confidential content.

5. Use of Automated Tools by the Journal

ITEE uses Turnitin to check the similarity of all submitted manuscripts. The results of any automated check are always reviewed by an editor, and no manuscript is rejected on the basis of an automated report alone. The journal does not use generative AI to make editorial decisions or to select reviewers.

6. Violations of This Policy

Suspected violations, such as undisclosed use of generative AI, fabricated references, or AI-manipulated images, are handled in accordance with the COPE guidelines. Depending on the stage and the seriousness of the case, the journal may:

Stage	Possible action
Before acceptance	Request clarification and a corrected disclosure, or reject the manuscript.
After publication	Publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction.
Reviewers and editors	Remove the person from the review or editorial process.