Generative AI Policy

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as large language models and image generators, can support research and writing, but they raise questions of accountability, accuracy and confidentiality. This policy explains how authors, reviewers and editors of IJMIE may use them, in line with the COPE position statement on authorship and AI tools.

Authors

  • AI tools cannot be authors. Authorship requires accountability for the work, which an AI tool cannot take, so AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors.
  • Disclose any use. Use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript, beyond basic spelling and grammar checks, must be declared in the Declarations section, naming the tool and its version and describing how it was used.
  • Authors remain responsible. Authors must check any AI-assisted text, code or analysis for errors, bias, fabricated references and plagiarism, and are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript.
  • No AI-generated results. Generative AI must not be used to create or alter images, micrographs, spectra, figures or data reported as research results.
  • AI as a research method. Where machine learning or other AI methods are part of the research itself (for example in materials discovery, property prediction or image analysis), the model, training data, parameters and validation must be reported in the methods so that the work can be evaluated and reproduced.

Example Declaration

“During the preparation of this work the authors used [tool name and version] to [improve the language of the introduction]. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.”

Reviewers

Manuscripts under review are confidential. Reviewers must not upload a manuscript, or any part of it, to generative AI tools, and must not use such tools to write their reports. Reviewers remain responsible for their own assessment.

Editors

Editors must not upload manuscripts, review reports or decision letters to generative AI tools. The journal may use approved tools for technical checks such as similarity screening; these support, but never replace, editorial judgement, and all decisions are made by people.

Breaches of This Policy

Undisclosed use of generative AI, or use that breaches this policy, is treated as a matter of research integrity under our Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement and Plagiarism Policy, and may lead to rejection, correction or retraction.

This policy is reviewed regularly as AI tools and community standards develop.