GENERATIVE AI POLICY

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy is developed in response to the growing use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in academic work. This policy aims to ensure transparency, safeguard scholarly integrity, and provide clear guidance for authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and contributors. The Journal of Research on English and Language Learning (J-REaLL) will continuously monitor technological developments and evolving good practices and will revise this policy as necessary.

 

For Authors

Authors may use AI tools in a limited capacity to support writing tasks such as language polishing, grammar refinement, clarity enhancement, or initial exploration of research ideas. However, AI should not be used to generate substantive parts of the manuscript, including the conceptual framework, literature synthesis, data interpretation, research findings, or conclusions. All analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and scientific considerations must be performed solely by the author.

Authors are required to provide an explicit Declaration of AI Use in the manuscript, placed before the bibliography. This statement should explain which AI tools were used, for what purpose, and the extent of their involvement. Authors must also declare that all intellectual content is their own work and that no part of the manuscript was generated by AI without significant human oversight, revision, and evaluation.

Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and ethical integrity of the submitted work. Any undisclosed use of AI or inappropriate use of AI, including the creation of false references or unverified content, will be considered a violation of publication ethics and may result in initial rejection, withdrawal of the manuscript, retraction of the published article, or other sanctions in accordance with the journal's ethical guidelines.

 

For Reviewers

Reviewers may use AI tools only to help improve the clarity or quality of language in their review reports. AI should not be used to evaluate the quality of manuscripts, assess arguments, interpret data, or make any judgments regarding submitted manuscripts. The peer review process relies entirely on the expertise of reviewers and should be based on human intellectual evaluation.

Reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality at all times. Manuscripts, in whole or in part, should not be uploaded to AI platforms or other tools that store, reuse, or study such data, as this constitutes a breach of confidentiality in the peer review process. Reviewers remain responsible for providing independent, objective, and expert judgment, without outsourcing evaluative functions to AI systems.

 

For Editors

Editors may use AI-assisted technology only for administrative or technical support, such as language proofreading, metadata extraction, similarity detection, or workflow organization. Editorial decision-making, scientific quality assessment, and ethical considerations should not be left to AI tools. All final decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of manuscripts must be made by human editors based on professional expertise.

Editors are responsible for identifying potential misuse of AI in submitted manuscripts. Editors may request authors to clarify or revise their statement of use of AI, provide methodological explanations, or include additional supporting materials if there is any doubt. The editorial team will also ensure that reviewers and editors receive ongoing training on the detection and ethical assessment of AI-generated content to maintain the journal's standards of academic integrity.

 

Publication Process

All submitted manuscripts will undergo an initial screening to identify plagiarism, fabricated references, or indications of inappropriate use of AI. Manuscripts that do not include a declaration of AI use will be returned to the author for correction before proceeding to peer review.

The publication process demands full transparency. Misrepresentation or failure to disclose the use of AI is considered a violation of ethical publication standards and may result in immediate rejection, retraction of the published work, or other action deemed appropriate by the journal.

If unethical or undisclosed use of AI is discovered after publication, the journal reserves the right to issue a correction, issue an expression of concern, or retract the article entirely in cases of serious violations. The journal is committed to ensuring that all published content reflects authentic scientific endeavours and aligns with the ethical principles upheld by J-REaLL.