AI in Academic Research and Writing: Publisher Policies on AI

Whether publishing, reviewing, or editing academic research for a publisher, it’s essential for practitioners to check a publisher’s policy on AI use before engaging with the publisher. Policies will vary from publisher to publisher and will likely continue to evolve as issues such as copyright, fair use, and AI ethics also evolve. Please check with individual publishers for their most up-to-date policies.

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) issued a statement on authorship and AI, affirming their belief that AI cannot be considered an author of a publication. They state,

AI tools cannot meet the requirements for authorship as they cannot take responsibility for the submitted work. … Authors who use AI tools … must be transparent in disclosing … how the AI tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics. (COPE, 2023, paras. 1 & 2)

You can view the full statement on their website: Authorship and AI Tools: COPE Position Statement.

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). (13 February 2023). Authorship and AI tools: COPE position statement. https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author

Note that policies will have specific guidance for different roles, such as author/applicant, peer reviewer, editor, etc.