AI policy

Author-Facing Summary of the Generative AI Policy (v2)

Effective:  October 15, 2025
Audience: Authors, editors, reviewers
Contact:    info@honorscouncil.eu

1) What is allowed
a) Use AI for grammar, spelling, and readability after drafting. Authors must review and consider all edits.

2) What is not allowed
b) Listing an AI system as an author.
c) Relying on AI to create substantive scholarly content (e.g., findings, conclusions, literature reviews) without disclosure and human verification.
d) Entering confidential, proprietary, or personal data into public AI tools.

3) What is allowed (with disclosure)
e) Use AI within the research methods (e.g., coding assistance, qualitative coding support, analysis) when fully documented.
f) Use AI-generated media only for illustration or when AI is the object of study. Such media must be clearly labeled as AI-generated and must not be presented as empirical evidence.

• How to disclose AI use
  Include AI use in the Methods section (preferred) or Acknowledgments and mention it in the cover letter. State: tool/provider, model and version, access mode (local/cloud/enterprise), dates of use, tasks performed, and representative prompts sufficient for reproducibility.
• Templates (adapt as needed):
  - Language assistance only: “We used [Tool, Version, Provider] for grammar and clarity after drafting the manuscript. Authors reviewed and accepted all changes. No AI was used to generate original content, data, analyses, or references.”

- AI used in methods: “We used [Tool, Version] for [task]. Prompts, parameters, code, and representative outputs are provided in Supplement X. Results were independently verified.”

• Citing AI tools
  Cite AI tools as software: Name (Version). Provider. Accessed [Month DD, YYYY]. URL (if appropriate). Include your disclosure statement in the manuscript.
• Figures, images, and multimedia
  Do not use AI-generated media as evidence for data or phenomena. If used for the illustration or study of AI itself, label as AI-generated and confirm rights and permissions.
• Data protection and IP
  Use only enterprise/local tools that do not retain or train on your inputs. Ensure GDPR compliance and that you hold rights to prompts, training data, and outputs.
• If your study uses AI
  Provide a dedicated Methods subsection that specifies models/versions, prompts, parameters, datasets, evaluation/validation steps, bias checks, and guardrails. Supply code, prompts, and sample outputs in supplemental files.
• Integrity checks
  JEHC may use screening tools, but will not rely solely on automated detectors. Editors will contact authors if questions arise. Undisclosed AI use or fabrication may result in rejection, correction, or retraction.

JEHC will review this policy annually or sooner as legal, technical, and scholarly norms evolve. Community feedback (authors, reviewers, and readers) is welcome at info@honorscouncil.eu

Author Submission Form (please copy)

Submission Form Checklist:

• Authorship: No AI system is listed as an author; human authors accept full responsibility.
• AI Disclosure: Any AI use is disclosed in the Methods or Acknowledgments and in the cover letter (tool/provider, model/version, dates, scope, representative prompts).
• Verification: Authors reviewed and verified all AI-assisted text/code/analyses; all references were checked for accuracy.
• Confidentiality/GDPR: No confidential, proprietary, or personal data were entered into public AI tools; any enterprise tools provide no retention/no training assurances.
• Figures/Media: AI-generated media are either not used or are clearly labeled and used only for illustration or as an object of study, with rights confirmed.
• AI Use Statement (required):
  “Describe any AI tools used (tool, provider, model/version, dates, purpose, access mode). For methods use, indicate where materials (prompts, code, outputs) are provided.”
• Uploads (optional but encouraged when AI is used in methods):
  - Supplement: Prompts (PDF/TXT)
  - Supplement: Code
  - Supplement: Representative Outputs

Confirmation (required checkbox):
- “I confirm that the disclosures above are complete and accurate.”

Reviewer Attestation (on the Reviewer Form)

• “My review is human-written. I did not upload manuscript content to public AI systems. If I used an enterprise or local AI tool for grammar/clarity without entering manuscript text, I have disclosed this to the editor.” -OR-
• “My review is human-written. I did not upload manuscript content to any AI system.”

Questions? Contact info@honorscouncil.eu