GHRF Policy on the Use of AI

COPE Statement on Authorship and AI Tools

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

GHRF Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Scholarly Writing

The appearance of a manuscript in any journal of the Global Humanities Research Forum (GHRF) shall not be regarded as an endorsement of the views expressed therein. As the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in academic contexts grows, GHRF sets out the following principles to uphold academic integrity and clarity of contribution.

1. Scope and Definition

For this document, “AI” refers specifically to generative language models capable of producing novel text. This definition excludes grammar-checking utilities, reference-management software, and plagiarism-detection systems.

2. Conditions of Use

a. Researchers remain the primary authors of their work. AI may support tasks such as idea generation or language revision, but the intellectual labour and argumentative structure must originate from the researcher.
b. Text produced entirely by AI shall not be submitted as original writing.
c. The use of generative AI during drafting must be disclosed in the manuscript at an appropriate location (commonly in the Introduction or Method sections). It must include a clear attribution to the tool used.
d. GHRF journals do not permit AI to be listed as an author.
e. No submitted or confidential material (including unpublished manuscripts, datasets, or identifiable notes) may be entered into generative AI systems, as this constitutes a breach of confidentiality.

3. Author Responsibilities

a. Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of all assertions, data, and citations. Information produced by AI must be checked against original sources.
b. AI misuse—such as submitting AI-generated text as original scholarship or compromising confidential material—may be treated as academic misconduct.
c. If AI tools have been used for discrete purposes (e.g., rewriting for language clarity), this must be stated transparently.
d. AI cannot substitute for scholarly reasoning, argument formation, critical review of literature, or source verification.

4. Guidance on Disclosure and Attribution

The following principles govern disclosure of AI involvement in manuscripts:

  1. Transparency: Authors must provide sufficient detail for readers and reviewers to understand how AI contributed to the work.
  2. Confidentiality: Authors must not expose sensitive research data, identifiable information, or proprietary content to open AI systems.
  3. Verification: Claims, quotations, citations, and factual statements derived from AI require verification against primary or authoritative sources.
  4. Attribution: If AI contributed in a manner analogous to a human assistant—such as generating ideas, analytic paths, code, or textual elements—attribution is normally required.

Authors may consult discipline-specific style guides (e.g., the MLA Handbook, 9th ed.) for guidance on citation practices related to generative AI.

5. Record-Keeping

Researchers are advised to maintain private records of prompts, system outputs, and AI-assisted materials. Such documentation may be requested during peer review or after publication to address questions of attribution or accuracy.

 

Last Updated: Jan 23, 2026 5:10 PM IST