AI and scientific writing

AI policies

• American Chemical Society

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  ACS, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  The use of AI tools for text or image generation should be disclosed in the manuscript within the Acknowledgment section with a description of when and how the tools were used. For more substantial use cases or descriptions of AI tool use, authors should provide full details within the Methods or other appropriate section of the manuscript.

  Spell checks

  Not specifically mentioned

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Can be used in general but require declaration in the figure caption.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Requires declaration as stated above.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  Disclosing any part of the submission or the peer review report to a text generation service is not permitted.

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• American Physical Society

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  APS, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  Authors should disclose the use of AI tools to editors in their Cover Letter and (if desired) within the paper itself.

  Spell checks

  "Authors and Referees may use ChatGPT and similar AI-based writing tools exclusively to polish, condense, or otherwise lightly edit their writing."

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Rules of good scientific conduct apply for scientific image generation. For artwork, similar guidelines might apply; this should be discussed with APS directly.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  If "the use of AI tools is in service of the study itself, the journals require authors to describe, in a reproducible manner, the use of AI tools in the methods section. This should include:

  • An explanation of how the AI or AI-assisted tools were used in the image creation or alteration process.
  • The name of the model or tool, version and extension numbers, and manufacturer."

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  "To protect the confidentiality of peer-reviewed materials, referees should not upload the contents of submitted manuscripts into external AI-assistance tools."

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Cambridge University Press

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  CUP, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfil the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  "AI use must be declared and clearly explained in publications such as research papers, just as we expect scholars to do with other software, tools and methodologies."

  Spell checks

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  Not specifically mentioned.

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Copernicus Publications

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  Copernicus, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  "Authors should provide the name of the specific AI tool utilised and clearly describe the purpose and extent of this use. This can be done either in the Methods or in the Acknowledgements sections of the manuscript."

  Spell checks

  "AI can be used to improve sentence structure and readability of manuscripts including punctuation, grammar, and spelling checks. This assistive use of AI does not need to be declared by authors."

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Image generation is permitted but requires declaration.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  AI must not be used to generate referee comments but can assist with punctuation, grammar and spelling checks.

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Elsevier

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  Elsevier, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  "Authors should disclose the use of AI tools for manuscript preparation in a separate AI declaration statement included in their manuscript upon submission. This statement will appear in the published article to ensure transparency. Authors should document their use of AI, including the name of the AI tool used, the purpose of its use, and the extent of their oversight. Declaring the use of AI tools supports transparency and trust between authors, readers, reviewers, editors and contributors and facilitates compliance with the terms of use of the relevant AI tool."

  Spell checks

  "Basic checks of grammar, spelling and punctuation do not need a declaration statement. However, when an AI tool makes substantive changes to sentence structure or organization of a part of the text, this should be disclosed."

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Using genAI to create images must adhere to guidelines of good scientific conduct and respect copyright. When this is given, Elsevier allows the use of genAI in certain cases, but you should carefully check the respective guidelines of Elsevier and the journal of interest.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  "[T]he use of AI tools in formal research design or research methods, including but not limited to study design, code development and data analysis" is permitted but requires details to be provided in the Methods section.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  Uploading a submitted manuscript into an AI tool is not permitted.

  Only private AI tools (see below for definition) should be used in the review process. Their use should be declared. Basic checks for spelling and grammar do not need to be disclosed.

  Private AI tool

  "When we refer to a "private" AI tool, we mean a version of an AI tool that does not retain, re-use, share, or learn from the content you submit to it. This means that when you paste or upload any content into the tool, that content should not be retained beyond what is necessary to provide the service, and must not be used to train or improve the AI model or shared with any third party."

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability of authors includes:

  • "Carefully reviewing and verifying the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and impartiality of all AI-generated output (including checking the sources, as AI-generated references can be incorrect or fabricated).
    • Editing and adapting all material thoroughly to ensure the manuscript represents the author’s authentic and original contribution and reflects their own analysis, interpretation, insights and ideas.
    • Ensuring the use of any tools or sources, AI-based or otherwise, is made clear and transparent to readers — for the use of AI tools we require a disclosure statement upon submission.
  • Ensuring the manuscript is developed in a way that safeguards data privacy, intellectual property and other rights, by checking the terms and conditions of any AI tool that is used."

• Frontiers

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  Frontiers, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfil the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  AI "use must be acknowledged in the acknowledgements section of the manuscript and the methods section if applicable. This explanation must list the name, version, model, and source of the generative AI technology. We encourage authors to upload all input prompts provided to a generative AI technology and outputs received from a generative AI technology in the supplementary files for the manuscript."

  Spell checks

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Such use should be declared in the methods section; see above.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  Not specifically mentioned.

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Institute of Physics

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  IOP, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  AI use must be disclosed in the Acknowledgement section. "This disclosure should list the model and version of the generative AI tool and how it was used in the work. Authors are also encouraged to maintain records of previous drafts, as well as any prompts used in the editing or generation of material within their manuscript."

  Spell checks

  This use case is allowed but requires a self-declaration as outlined above.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Rules of good scientific conduct apply for scientific image generation.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  Reviewers may only use generative AI tools for checks of spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting. Such use must be disclosed.

  See here for details.

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• MDPI

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  MDPI, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  "[A]uthors are required to disclose details on how the [generative] AI tool was used in the Materials and Methods section and provide the [generative] AI tool’s product details in the Acknowledgments section.

  Recommended acknowledgement statement:

  During the preparation of this manuscript/study, the author(s) used [tool name, version information] for the purposes of [description of use]. The authors have reviewed and edited the output and take full responsibility for the content of this publication."

  Spell checks

  "The use of [generative] AI tools for the purposes of text editing (e.g., grammar, structure, spelling, punctuation, and formatting) [...] does not need to be declared."

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  "[Generative] AI tools and other large language models (LLMs) should not be used by reviewers in the preparation of review reports."

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Oxford University Press

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  OUP, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  "The use, or proposed use, of any [generative] AI tool in content generation or preparation must be disclosed in detail to your Acquisitions Editor at the earliest stage of discussion, whether proposal submission, research, or manuscript writing.

  • At proposal stage, and when planning research, you should discuss proposed uses and the outputs your final manuscript is likely to contain.
  • At manuscript submission, you must provide a detailed statement, specifying the location in the text of each use, the tool used and in which version, the manner of its use, the justification for using the tool, and the steps you have taken to validate the accuracy of its outputs. Download our AI Use Declaration Form for this purpose.
  • You may also wish to add a note to the acknowledgements or to the relevant section(s) of the book, laying this information out with transparency for the reader.

  Any use of [generative] AI tools within your chapter, article, or book, must also be clearly acknowledged in- text and/or in footnotes or endnotes, following the appropriate referencing convention."

  Spell checks

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  "It is prohibited to upload project proposals and manuscripts, in part or in whole, into a [generative] AI tool for any purpose. Doing so may violate copyright, confidentiality, privacy, and data security obligations."

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Royal Society of Chemistry

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  RSC, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  "Authors must disclose in the manuscript their use and a statement will be required in the published work. The statement should provide detail of which elements of the work were generated by AI and AI-assisted technologies."

  Spell checks

  This use case is allowed but requires a self-declaration as outlined above.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  AI use "must not replace key researcher tasks such as producing scientific insights, analysing and interpreting data or drawing scientific conclusions."

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  Not specifically mentioned.

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Springer Nature

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  URL

  Nature, AI policy

  Springer, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  Use of a large language model (LLM) needs to be documented in the Methods section. Spell checks and other forms of copy editing do not require a declaration.

  Spell checks

  Spell checks and other forms of copy editing are allowed and do not require a declaration.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Using AI tools for image generation is not allowed except for a few exceptions (see URLs above).

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Not specifically mentioned.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  Uploading manuscripts into generative AI tools is not permitted.

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Taylor & Francis

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  Taylor & Francis, AI policy

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  Any use of generative AI must be declared and include: "the full name of the tool used (with version number), how it was used and the reason for use. For article submissions, a specific statement of AI usage disclosure must be included."

  Spell checks

  This use case is allowed but requires a self-declaration as outlined above.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Generative AI tools are allowed to "assist research data visualisations and conceptual illustrations of processes, flow diagrams or teaching illustrations." Image manipulation and similar breaches of established good scientific conduct is not permitted.

  See here for details.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Use cases such as literature classification, coding assistance, idea generation and exploration are allowed when adhering to standards of good scientific conduct and when declared as mentioned above.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  "[E]ditors and peer reviewers must not upload files, images, or information from unpublished manuscripts into Generative AI tools."

  Author accountability & research integrity

  Accountability for the final manuscript remains with the authors.

• Wiley

  This information serves as a first overview and can differ from journal policies, even at the same publisher. Please check submission guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. In case of doubt, contact the editorial office.

  Italic text in quotation marks is a direct quote from the webpage available via the URL below.

  URL

  Wiley, AI policy

  See here for details.

  AI as author

  AI technology cannot fulfill the role of an author.

  Declaration of AI use

  "Authors should document all AI Technology used, including its purpose, whether it influenced key arguments or conclusions, and how they personally reviewed and verified any AI-generated content. Authors must also disclose their use of AI Technologies when submitting a manuscript to a Wiley journal. If disclosure is not provided at submission, it may be requested during peer review or after publication."

  "For journals published by Wiley, AI disclosure should be placed in the following sections of your manuscript: In your Acknowledgments when AI assists with manuscript drafting, editing, translation, or formatting. In your Methods when AI is used to assist with your research methodology, data collection or analysis, or literature review processes. In your figure captions when AI generates or edits any visual content that appears in your manuscript."

  See here for details.

  Spell checks

  "AI Tools used solely for spelling, grammar, and general editing" do not need to be declared.

  AI-generated images, figures & visual content

  Wiley supports the use of AI for creating research figures and illustrations but rules for declaration of AI use, good scientific conduct and licencing requirements apply.

  See here for details.

  AI in the research process & methodology

  Such use is possible but requires disclosure and documentation that allows others to understand and build upon your work.

  AI use by peer reviewers & editors

  "Authors should be aware that editors or peer reviewers may use AI Technology to help improve the clarity or quality of the written feedback in a peer review report. If this occurs, the reviewer must disclose that use to the handling editor when the review is submitted. Beyond this limited use, editors and peer reviewers are not permitted to upload manuscripts (or any parts of manuscripts including figures and tables) into AI Technology."

  Author accountability & research integrity

  "[A]uthors remain fully responsible for the accuracy of all content and must verify that all claims, citations, and analyses align with their expertise and research. Before including AI-generated content in a journal submission, authors must carefully review it to ensure the final work reflects their own expertise, voice, and originality and that it complies with Wiley's ethical and editorial standards."

Further reading & general information

• More readings

  The discussion about usage of generative AI tools in scientific writing have greatly increased; regulations are being defined and its advantages and limitations evaluated. Below, you can find a selection of interesting articles on the topic:

  • Bonger S, van der Wal R & van der Veldt M, 2023: TU Delft teachers on ChatGPT: ‘Banning it is pointless’. Delta. Independent journalistic platform TU Delft.
  • Bubenhofer N, 2023: Tipp-Ex, Rechtschreibkorrektur, künstliche Intelligenz: Die Zukunft des wissenschaftlichen Schreibens. Presentation at ETH Library on 20 April 2023.
  • Buriak JM et al., 2023. Best Practices for Using AI When Writing Scientific Manuscripts. ACS Nano, 17 (5), 4091–4093. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.3c01544.
  • Dwivedi YK et al., 2023. "So what if ChatGPT wrote it?" Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102642.
  • Gao CA, Howard FM, Markov NS et al., 2022. Comparing scientific abstracts generated by ChatGPT to original abstracts using an artificial intelligence output detector, plagiarism detector and blinded human reviewers. bioRxiv, 12.23.521610. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.23.521610.
  • Khlaif ZN, 2023. Ethical concerns about using AI-generated text in scientific research. SSRN, 4387984. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4387984.

  • Salvagno M, Taccone FS & Gerli, AG, 2023. Can artificial intelligence help for scientific writing? Crit Care, 27 (75). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-023-04380-2.

     

• Information from institutions & publishers

  As institutions and publishers have to face the fact that authors may use AI-based tools to (help) write scientific articles, they begin to set up guidelines, best practices and regulations regarding its usage. Here are some examples of information from publishers and Swiss universities:

  • American Geophysical Union AGU (Report on use of AI in Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences)
  • ETH Zürich (information about AI and academic integrity - meant as a conversation, not an official regulation)
  • European Commission: Living guidelines on the responsible use of generative AI in research
  • PSI (position paper on AI driven language processing tools)
  • SNSF (news on "The SNSF’s approach to the use of artificial intelligence in funding applications")
  • STM (White Paper - Generative AI in Scholarly Communications: Ethical and Practical Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI in the Publication Process)
  • University of Geneva (article about ChatGPT)
  • ZHAW (blog including official guidelines for the use of generative AI systems)