Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences (JOPAS)

1. Scope and Purpose

This policy establishes the guidelines for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the preparation, review, and publication of manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences (JOPAS). The policy applies to all authors, reviewers, and editors involved in the journal's publication process.

2. Authors' Use of AI

2.1 Permitted Use

AI tools may be used by authors solely for the following purposes:

• Language editing, proofreading, and grammar improvement
• Paraphrasing text that was originally written by the authors themselves
• Formatting assistance and reference management
• Data analysis and visualization (when the underlying methodology is transparent and reproducible)

2.2 Prohibited Use

The following uses of AI are strictly prohibited:

• Generating or writing entire sections of the manuscript, including the abstract, introduction, methods, results, or discussion
• Creating or fabricating data, results, or supporting evidence
• Generating or manipulating images, figures, or graphical abstracts without full transparency and author oversight
• Suggesting or fabricating references or citations
• Replacing the author's own intellectual contribution, analysis, interpretation, and critical thinking

2.3 Authorship Requirement

AI tools, chatbots, or language models cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of any manuscript submitted to JOPAS. Authorship requires human intellectual contributions, accountability, and responsibility for the work, which AI tools cannot fulfill.

2.4 Disclosure Obligation

Any use of AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of the manuscript must be clearly disclosed in a dedicated "AI Use Declaration" section placed before the references. The disclosure should include:

• The name and version of the AI tool used
• The specific purpose and scope of AI use
• How the AI output was reviewed, verified, and incorporated

2.5 Author Responsibility

Authors are fully responsible and accountable for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content in their manuscript, including any content produced or assisted by AI tools. Authors must:

• Carefully review and verify all AI-generated or AI-assisted content
• Ensure no plagiarism or copyright infringement results from AI use
• Confirm that all sources cited are legitimate and verifiable
• Accept full responsibility for any errors, omissions, or ethical breaches in AI-assisted content

2.6 Plagiarism Consideration

AI-generated text that is not properly attributed or that reproduces copyrighted material without permission constitutes plagiarism and will be treated under the journal's Plagiarism Policy.

3. Reviewers' Use of AI

3.1 Confidentiality

Reviewers must not upload, input, or share any part of a manuscript under review into any AI tool, language model, or chatbot, as this violates the confidentiality of the peer review process.

3.2 Permitted Use

Reviewers may use AI tools only for:

• Grammar or language checking of their own review comments
• Reference verification (using dedicated reference management tools)

3.3 Prohibited Use

Reviewers must not use AI to:

• Generate all or part of a peer review report
• Analyze or summarize the manuscript content
• Make or suggest review recommendations or decisions
• Replace their own expert evaluation and judgment

4. Editors' Use of AI

Editors may use AI tools only for administrative and operational purposes that do not compromise the integrity of editorial decisions. Editors remain fully responsible for all editorial decisions and must ensure that their use of AI does not introduce bias or reduce the quality of the review process.

5. Detection and Compliance

JOPAS reserves the right to:

• Screen manuscripts for AI-generated content using detection tools
• Request authors to provide evidence of original work, including data, code, and research materials
• Reject manuscripts that violate this policy or fail to adequately disclose AI use
• Issue corrections or retractions for published articles found to be in violation

6. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed periodically to reflect advances in AI technology and evolving best practices in academic publishing. JOPAS follows the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding AI use in scholarly publishing.

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Last Updated: June 2026
JOPAS Editorial Team