AI Policy

JSARD Artificial Intelligence Policy

Purpose

JSARD supports responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools while maintaining the highest standards of scholarly integrity, authorship, and transparency. Generative AI tools may assist with certain aspects of academic work, but they cannot replace scholarly responsibility.

Generative AI Permissible Uses—Without Disclosure

Authors may use AI tools for:

  • Minor editing assistance (similar to copyediting), but it must not alter substantive intellectual content.

  • Assistance with formatting of references and other APA formatting

Generative AI Permissible Uses—With Disclosure

Authors may use AI tools for:

  • Moderate language editing and grammar correction 
  • Moderate revisions for clarity and organization 
  • Assistance with literature review or compilation of relevant sources  
  • Translation of materials as part of the research process 
  • Using software or code generated by AI to undertake additional research 
  • Assistance in research data visualization 
  • Generation of representative illustrations or infographics 
  • Code enhanced or checked for errors by AI assistance 

Prohibited AI Uses

Authors may not use AI tools to:

  • Generate data
  • Generate inaccurate or falsified text or content 
  • Analyze experiences and themes  
  • Plagiarize or inappropriately attribute prior sources 
  • Generate images that are presented as unique or novel research images  
  • Fabricate references or falsify claims  
  • Serve as a co-author

AI in Peer Review

Editors and Reviewers:

  • May use AI tools for grammar or clarity in drafting feedback.
  • May not upload files, images, or information from unpublished manuscripts into AI tools.
  • Must maintain strict confidentiality.
  • Must disclose substantive AI assistance to the editor-in-chief.
  • Editors must not use generative AI to generate decision letters or summaries of unpublished research.
  • Reviewers suspecting the inappropriate or undisclosed use of generative AI in a submission should flag their concerns with the responsible editor.

The Journal reserves the right to take action if reviewers or editors breach peer-review confidentiality by using AI tools.

Required Disclosure

Authors must include an AI Use Statement in the: a) submission cover letter, b) methods section, (if applicable), and c) acknowledgments section of the manuscript.

Authors disclosure must describe:

  • The tool used
  • The version (if relevant)
  • The specific function performed
  • Human verification processes

Failure to disclose substantive AI use may constitute research misconduct.

A. Submission Cover Letter

This statement is required for all disclosure-level AI use.

Example: 

During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors utilized Gemini 3.1 Pro to refine the phrasing of the Literature Review and generate a summary table of leadership frameworks. Following this process, the authors critically reviewed, edited, and verified all AI-generated content for accuracy and alignment with the original research data. The authors assume full responsibility for the final integrity of the manuscript and confirm that the tool was not used to analyze raw data or formulate primary research conclusions.

B. Methods (for research-related AI use)

Required if AI tools were used in:

  • Statistical modeling
  • Instrument development
  • Simulation or modeling

Example: 

The initial semi-structured interview protocol was developed with the assistance of Claude Opus 4.6. The AI was used to generate a preliminary pool of open-ended questions based on the distributed leadership framework presented in the literature review. Following this, the research team conducted a multi-stage review process to refine the prompts, ensure alignment with the study’s research questions, and verify that the language was appropriate for the target participants. The final instrument was validated by two subject matter experts to ensure content validity.

C. Acknowledgments

This statement is required for all disclosure-level AI use.

Example: 

Portions of this manuscript were revised for clarity using ChatGPT (OpenAI). The authors reviewed and verified all content for accuracy.

Guiding Resources: