AQCH recognizes the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI technologies in scholarly research and publishing. While AI tools can support certain aspects of research and manuscript preparation, authors, reviewers, and editors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical compliance of all submitted and published content.
This policy is developed in accordance with current best practices in scholarly publishing, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and leading academic publishers.
This policy applies to all submissions, including:
The policy covers the use of Generative AI systems, including but not limited to:
Authors may use AI tools for limited assistance in:
The use of AI must always remain under direct human supervision and verification.
Authors are responsible for reviewing, validating, and correcting any AI-generated output before submission.
Authors must fully disclose the use of Generative AI tools during manuscript preparation.
A disclosure statement should be included in the manuscript before the References section or in a separate “AI Disclosure Statement.”
"The authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI) for language editing and manuscript organization. All scientific content, interpretation, conclusions, and final manuscript revisions were reviewed and approved by the authors, who take full responsibility for the content."
Failure to disclose significant AI use may be considered a breach of publication ethics.
Generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.
AI tools:
Authorship is limited to human contributors who meet the journal's authorship criteria.
Authors remain fully responsible for:
Use of AI does not transfer responsibility from authors to software providers.
The following uses are not permitted:
AI must not be used to:
Authors must not use AI to:
Authors must not rely on AI-generated references without verification.
All references must be checked by authors to ensure:
Fabricated or non-existent references are considered misconduct.
AI-generated images, figures, micrographs, histopathology images, cytology images, or diagnostic images must not be presented as original research data.
Any AI-generated image used for illustration must be clearly identified and appropriately disclosed.
AI-assisted analytical tools may be used for:
Authors must clearly describe:
Methods must be sufficiently detailed to allow reproducibility.
AI-generated visual content may only be used when:
For pathology, cytology, histology, microscopy, radiology, or diagnostic imaging studies, AI-generated images may not replace authentic research observations.
The journal reserves the right to request original image files and supporting documentation.
Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality.
Reviewers must not:
Using confidential manuscripts in AI systems may constitute a breach of confidentiality and publication ethics.
If reviewers use AI-assisted tools for language support or review organization, confidentiality must not be compromised.
Editors may use AI-assisted tools for:
However, editorial decisions must always be made by qualified human editors.
AI tools may assist but cannot replace editorial judgment.
Authors, reviewers, and editors must ensure that confidential information is not entered into public AI systems.
This includes:
Compliance with applicable privacy and data protection regulations is required.
AQCH reserves the right to:
Suspected misuse of AI may result in:
If undisclosed or inappropriate AI use is discovered after publication, the journal may issue:
depending on the severity of the issue and its impact on the scientific record.
As AI technologies continue to evolve, AQCH reserves the right to update this policy to reflect emerging ethical standards, technological developments, and best practices in scholarly publishing.
Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to comply with the most current version of this policy available on the journal website.
AQCH supports the responsible and transparent use of Artificial Intelligence in scholarly communication. AI may assist researchers and publishing professionals, but scientific accountability, ethical responsibility, and authorship remain exclusively human obligations. The integrity of the scholarly record must always take precedence over technological convenience.
