Artificial Intelligence

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Academic Publishing

Purpose: The Axis Journal of Agriculture & Biological Sciences (AJABS) acknowledges the emerging influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scholarly activities. This policy establishes ethical guidelines for the responsible use of AI tools throughout the manuscript submission, peer review, and publication process to maintain the journal's commitment to academic integrity, transparency, and originality.

Scope: This policy applies to all contributors, including authors, reviewers, and editors, and covers AI technologies such as large language models, machine learning algorithms, automated data analysis tools, and AI-assisted writing aids used in the context of agricultural and biosocial research.

Definitions:

  • AI: Computational systems that perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence.

  • AI-Assisted Content: Any part of a manuscript, figure, or analysis that has been generated, substantially altered, or synthesized by an AI tool.

  • AI-Assisted Decision-Making: The use of AI systems to support, but not replace, human editorial judgment.

Policy Details:

1. Transparency and Disclosure:

  • AI Usage Disclosure: Authors must explicitly disclose the use of AI tools in the creation or refinement of their manuscript within the cover letter and/or a dedicated section of the manuscript.

  • Role Specification: The specific role of the AI tool (e.g., for language editing, data analysis, literature summarization) must be clearly described.

2. Authorship and Accountability:

  • AI and Authorship: AI tools cannot be listed as an author. Authorship requires accountability for the work, which an AI entity cannot hold.

  • Human Responsibility: Authors retain full responsibility for the entire content of their manuscript, including any portions developed with AI assistance. This includes ensuring the accuracy, validity, and originality of all information presented.

3. Integrity and Originality:

  • Plagiarism and Fabrication: AI-generated content must not contain plagiarized material or fabricated references. Authors are responsible for verifying all sources and factual claims.

  • Plagiarism Screening Policy: The Axis Journal of Agriculture and Biological Sciences screens all submitted manuscripts for plagiarism prior to peer review using professional plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin / iThenticate). Manuscripts found to contain significant plagiarism, redundant publication, or unethical use of AI-generated content will be rejected outright or returned to authors for correction, depending on severity. The journal follows COPE guidelines in handling suspected cases of plagiarism and academic misconduct.

  • Intellectual Contribution: The manuscript must represent the authors' own intellectual contribution. The use of AI should aid in the expression of the authors' research and ideas, not replace the foundational intellectual work.

4. Peer Review and Editorial Process:

  • Human-Centric Review: The journal's double-blind peer review process is fundamentally human-driven. While reviewers may use AI tools for language checking, their critical assessment and recommendations must be their own.

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers and editors must not upload submitted manuscripts or confidential data into public or unsecured AI platforms, as this breaches confidentiality agreements.

5. Research Involving AI:

  • Methodological Rigor: For manuscripts where the development or application of an AI model is the core of the research, the methodology must be described with sufficient detail to allow for reproducibility, including information on the training data, algorithms, and validation processes.

6. Bias and Error Management:

  • Acknowledgment of Limitations: Authors and editors should be aware that AI models can perpetuate biases present in their training data and may generate plausible but incorrect or misleading information. Vigilance is required to identify and correct such issues.

Implementation and Oversight:

  • Training: The editorial team will be kept informed of developments in AI relevant to academic publishing.

  • Policy Review: This policy will be reviewed annually and updated as needed to address the rapid evolution of AI technologies.

Enforcement:
Non-compliance with this policy, including failure to disclose the use of AI or the submission of content that violates principles of originality and accuracy, will be grounds for immediate rejection of the manuscript and may lead to further sanctions.

By implementing this policy, AJABS aims to harness the benefits of AI for enhancing research communication while safeguarding the core values of scholarly publishing and ensuring the trustworthiness of the scientific record in agriculture and biological sciences.