Publication Ethics

This document is prepared based on Elsevier’s policy on the use of generative AI by authors and reviewers, as well as the Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Learning in Higher Education  (Direktorat Pembelajaran dan Kemahasiswaan, 2024).

General Principles

  1. Humans remain the party responsible for the final content of scientific documents.

  2. The use of AI must be transparent if it provides a substantive contribution to the preparation of a manuscript or review report.

  3. All AI outputs must be checked, verified, and edited by humans before use.

  4. Confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property rights, and publication rights must be protected.

  5. AI must not be used to falsify, fabricate, or alter research evidence that was not genuinely obtained.

  6. AI must not replace human scientific judgment, whether by authors or reviewers.

 

Permitted Uses of AI for Authors

1. Initial literature search and understanding

AI may assist in understanding concepts, identifying search terms, obtaining an initial overview of a field, grouping topics, or helping to explain complex articles. AI must not replace reading of primary sources. Every reference, DOI, author name, year, volume, page number, and fact must be verified against the original source.

2. Brainstorming and idea development

AI may assist in generating alternative topics, research questions, points of view, manuscript structure, or possible variables. Decisions regarding the research problem, objectives, hypotheses, conceptual framework, argumentation, and scientific contribution must originate from the authors.

3. Manuscript organization

AI may assist in grouping ideas, arranging the sequence of subsections, identifying repetitions, and suggesting transitions. Scientific substance must remain under the authors' control.

4. Language refinement

AI may be used for spelling, punctuation, grammar, readability, translation, and word alternatives. According to Elsevier policy, basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation checks do not need to be declared. If AI makes substantive changes to sentence structure, organization, or content, its use must be disclosed.

5. Summarization

AI may assist in summarizing notes or sources that have indeed been reviewed by the authors. Summaries must be compared against the original sources and must not be used to create the impression that the authors have read sources they have not actually examined.

6. Paraphrasing

AI may assist in providing alternative paraphrasing. The meaning of the source must remain accurate, citation remains mandatory, and AI must not be used to disguise plagiarism.

7. Code development

AI may assist in generating sample code, fixing syntax, debugging, documentation, or suggesting algorithmic alternatives. Researchers must understand the code, verify its correctness, and ensure reproducibility, security, and compliance with licensing terms.

8. Data analysis assistance

AI may assist in generating analytical code, classification, information extraction, text analysis, statistics, initial interpretation, or visualization. If AI becomes part of the research design, methods, collection, processing, analysis, or interpretation, its use must be described in the Methods section in sufficient detail to be assessed and reproduced.

9. Logic and consistency checking

AI may be used as an additional checker to identify contradictions, terminological inconsistencies, mismatches between tables and narrative, or weaknesses in argumentation. The final determination of right or wrong remains with the authors.

10. Explanatory figures

Elsevier permits AI support for certain explanatory figures such as flowcharts, decision trees, timelines, schematic illustrations, and experimental workflow diagrams. The use of AI to create or edit figures must be disclosed in accordance with journal policy, including in the caption where relevant.

11. Data visualization

AI may assist with data visualization only if the results are derived directly from actual research data, the process can be explained, and the method is reproducible.

 

Prohibited Uses of AI for Authors

1. Delegating scientific responsibility to AI

AI must not make final scientific decisions, determine the validity of hypotheses without human evaluation, or generate conclusions that are accepted without review.

2. Creating an entire manuscript with AI and claiming it as the author's work

Scientific work must reflect the authors' original analysis, interpretation, and contribution. AI outputs must not replace human intellectual contribution.

3. Using fake or unverified references

It is prohibited to use DOIs, titles, author names, journals, or publications that are solely provided by AI without verification against the original source.

4. Falsifying data

AI must not be used to create respondents, add samples, fabricate interviews, generate experimental values, or fill in data that were never actually obtained.

5. Manipulating results

AI must not be used to alter data or analysis in order to achieve desired results, conceal contradictory findings, or force interpretations not supported by the data.

6. Creating or altering primary data images

For images that constitute research evidence—such as microscopy, histology, western blots, radiology scans, patient images, or experimental imagery—AI must not be used to create or alter information that was not actually observed.

7. Creating graphical abstracts with general-purpose generative AI when prohibited by the journal

The latest Elsevier policy states that general-purpose generative AI image tools must not be used to create graphical abstracts. The specific provisions of the target journal must still be checked.

8. Uploading confidential data to unsecured AI systems

Personal data, patient data, identifying information, confidential company data, manuscripts of other parties, or materials bound by confidentiality must not be entered into AI systems without adequate protection of privacy, IP, and publication rights.

9. Disguising plagiarism

AI must not be used to paraphrase others' work in order to pass similarity checks or avoid attribution obligations.

10. Concealing substantive use of AI

If AI provides a meaningful contribution to the preparation of a manuscript, its use must be disclosed in accordance with journal policy.

 
 

Declaration of AI Use by Authors

For substantive use of AI in the preparation of a manuscript, the declaration should include the name of the tool or service, the purpose of use, the specific parts of the work that were assisted, and a statement that the authors have reviewed and edited the outputs and take full responsibility for the final content.

examples:
During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] for
[PURPOSE]. The authors subsequently reviewed and edited the output, verified the relevant
information and references, and take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.