AI Usage Policy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

The Iraqi Journal for Applied Science (IJAS) recognizes the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI technologies in scholarly communication. While AI-assisted tools may support certain aspects of research and manuscript preparation, authors, reviewers, and editors remain fully responsible for maintaining scientific integrity, transparency, originality, and ethical standards throughout the publication process.

This policy is intended to ensure the responsible and transparent use of AI technologies in accordance with internationally recognized best practices.

1. Permitted Use of AI Tools

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies for limited purposes, including:

  • Language editing and grammar improvement.
  • Improving readability and manuscript organization.
  • Translation assistance.
  • Literature searching and information retrieval.
  • Coding assistance and software debugging.
  • Data processing or statistical support, provided that all methods are fully described and scientifically validated.

The use of AI must never replace critical scientific judgment.

Authors are responsible for carefully reviewing, verifying, and approving all AI-assisted content before submission.

2. Mandatory Disclosure

Any significant use of AI technologies during the preparation of a manuscript must be transparently disclosed.

Authors should include a section entitled:

Declaration of AI-Assisted Technologies

Example:

The authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI) solely to improve language quality and manuscript organization. All scientific concepts, methodology, data analysis, interpretation, and conclusions were independently developed, verified, and approved by the authors.

Failure to disclose significant AI use may result in editorial action.

3. Prohibited Uses

The following practices are strictly prohibited:

  • Listing AI systems as authors or co-authors.
  • Delegating scientific responsibility to AI.
  • Using AI to fabricate or manipulate research data.
  • Generating experimental results without validation.
  • Creating fabricated references or citations.
  • Inventing datasets, statistical analyses, or conclusions.
  • Manipulating scientific images, graphs, or figures without disclosure.
  • Using AI to generate fake peer-review reports or reviewer identities.
  • Submitting AI-generated content without human verification.

4. Author Responsibility

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  • The originality of the manuscript.
  • The accuracy of all scientific content.
  • The authenticity of references and citations.
  • The validity of data and statistical analyses.
  • Compliance with publication ethics.
  • Any errors arising from AI-assisted content.

AI systems cannot assume responsibility for published research and therefore cannot be recognized as authors.

5. Editorial Assessment

The Editorial Office reserves the right to:

  • Request clarification regarding AI usage.
  • Require additional disclosure statements.
  • Request original datasets or source files.
  • Verify references generated using AI.
  • Perform plagiarism, similarity, and integrity assessments.
  • Reject manuscripts that violate this policy.

6. AI Use by Reviewers

Reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts, unpublished data, reviewer reports, or supplementary materials to publicly accessible AI systems without prior written authorization from both the journal and the manuscript authors.

AI tools must not be used to generate peer-review reports automatically.

Reviewers remain fully responsible for the confidentiality, independence, and quality of their evaluations.

7. AI Use by Editors

Editors may use AI-assisted tools for administrative purposes only, including:

  • Language assessment.
  • Technical editing.
  • Workflow management.
  • Similarity screening support.
  • Metadata verification.

Editorial decisions, reviewer selection, ethical assessments, and publication decisions shall always be made exclusively by qualified human editors.

8. Images and Multimedia

AI-generated or AI-enhanced images, figures, graphical abstracts, videos, or other visual materials must be clearly identified within the manuscript whenever their creation or modification has involved AI technologies.

Any manipulation that could misrepresent scientific findings is strictly prohibited.

9. Research Integrity

The use of AI must never compromise:

  • Research integrity.
  • Scientific reproducibility.
  • Transparency.
  • Accountability.
  • Ethical publishing practices.

Authors remain solely accountable for every aspect of the submitted manuscript.

10. Compliance with International Standards

IJAS follows the recommendations and guidance issued by:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), where applicable
  • Creative Commons
  • Crossref
  • International best practices in responsible AI-assisted scholarly publishing

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed periodically by the Editorial Board to reflect technological developments, evolving international publishing standards, and updates to ethical guidance regarding Artificial Intelligence in scholarly publishing.