AI Policy

Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU recognizes that generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies may support certain academic, research, editorial, and technical activities. The journal permits their responsible use when they support human judgment and do not replace human intellectual, scientific, editorial, or ethical responsibility.

This policy applies to authors, editors, editorial staff, and peer reviewers involved in the publication process of Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU. It is based on the principles of research integrity, confidentiality, transparency, accountability, publication ethics, and responsible use of technology. AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility for scholarly work.

1. General Principles

The use of AI tools in connection with manuscripts submitted to Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU must comply with the following principles:

  • Human authors, editors, and reviewers remain fully responsible for their respective roles.

  • AI tools must not replace scientific judgment, critical analysis, research design, interpretation, or editorial decision-making.

  • The use of AI must not compromise manuscript confidentiality, intellectual property, privacy, or research integrity.

  • AI-assisted content must be reviewed and verified by the responsible human user.

  • AI-generated information, references, images, data, or other materials must not be presented as verified scientific evidence unless independently validated.

  • The use of AI must comply with applicable copyright, intellectual property, privacy, ethical, and institutional requirements.

  • AI systems cannot be held accountable for the accuracy, originality, integrity, or ethical compliance of published scholarly work.

2. Policy for Authors

2.1 Permitted Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI or AI-assisted tools for limited supporting purposes, provided that such use does not replace their intellectual and scientific contribution.

Permitted uses may include:

  • language improvement;

  • grammar and spelling correction;

  • improvement of readability;

  • translation assistance;

  • formatting assistance;

  • coding or programming assistance;

  • data-processing assistance; and

  • other limited technical or administrative support.

Authors remain responsible for reviewing and verifying all AI-assisted outputs.

Basic tools used solely for grammar, spelling, reference formatting, or accessibility features generally do not require detailed disclosure, unless the AI tool has made a substantive contribution to the manuscript or research.

2.2 Mandatory Declaration of AI Use

Every submitted manuscript must contain a section entitled “Declaration of AI Use”, placed before the References.

The declaration must state whether generative AI or AI-assisted tools were used in preparing the manuscript or conducting the research.

Where AI tools were used substantively, the declaration should identify, where applicable:

  • the name of the AI tool or system and its version;

  • the purpose for which it was used; and

  • the part of the research or manuscript affected.

The declaration will form part of the published article where applicable.

If no generative AI or AI-assisted tools were used, authors should state this explicitly so that all published articles follow a consistent disclosure practice.

2.3 Suggested AI Disclosure Statements

Where AI was used:

Declaration of AI Use: During the preparation of this article, the author(s) used [tool name and version] for [purpose]. The author(s) subsequently reviewed and revised the AI-assisted output and take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and content of the published article.

Where AI was not used:

Declaration of AI Use: The author(s) did not use generative AI or AI-assisted tools in preparing this article.

2.4 AI as Part of the Research Method

When AI or machine learning forms part of the research itself—for example, for process-performance prediction, AI-assisted data analysis, simulation, modelling, or other research applications—the use of AI must also be described in the Methods section.

The description should provide sufficient information for the work to be understood and, where applicable, reproduced. This may include:

  • the AI or machine-learning tool and version;

  • model or algorithm used;

  • relevant settings or parameters;

  • training data or data sources;

  • preprocessing procedures;

  • validation procedures; and

  • other information necessary to understand the role of AI in the research.

This methodological description is separate from the general Declaration of AI Use.

2.5 Author Accountability

Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU, regardless of whether AI tools were used.

Authors must independently verify:

  • scientific accuracy;

  • factual statements;

  • calculations;

  • data and results;

  • interpretation of findings;

  • conclusions;

  • originality;

  • references and citations;

  • attribution of sources; and

  • compliance with research ethics.

AI systems may produce inaccurate, incomplete, biased, misleading, fabricated, or unverifiable information. Authors must therefore critically evaluate and revise AI-assisted content before submission.

2.6 References and Citations

Authors are responsible for verifying every reference and citation included in their manuscript.

AI-generated references must not be included without verification against the original scholarly source.

Authors must ensure that references actually exist and that bibliographic information, including author names, article titles, journal names, publication year, volume, issue, pages, and DOI information where applicable, is accurate.

Fabricated or unverifiable references may constitute a breach of publication integrity.

2.7 Images, Figures, and Research Data

AI must not be used to fabricate, falsify, or deceptively manipulate scientific data or research findings.

Experimental images and scientific data presentations, including but not limited to micrographs, spectra, chromatograms, graphs, and process data, must not be generated or altered using AI in a manner that changes or misrepresents the underlying research evidence.

AI-generated schematics, illustrations, or graphical materials may be used where scientifically appropriate, provided that:

  • their use is disclosed where required;

  • their technical accuracy is verified by the authors; and

  • they do not misrepresent research data, experimental equipment, procedures, or findings.

Where AI-assisted image processing is scientifically necessary, authors should disclose the tool used, the purpose of processing, and the extent of modification.

2.8 Privacy, Confidentiality, and Third-Party Rights

Authors must not enter confidential, sensitive, unpublished, proprietary, personally identifiable, or legally protected information into an AI system unless appropriate authorization, safeguards, and data-protection measures are in place.

Authors are responsible for reviewing the terms and conditions of AI tools they use and ensuring that they have the right to submit any information or material to those systems.

This includes, where applicable:

  • confidential institutional information;

  • unpublished research data;

  • restricted datasets;

  • personal participant information;

  • proprietary technical information; and

  • material protected by ethical, legal, contractual, or intellectual-property requirements.

2.9 AI Cannot Be an Author

AI systems, chatbots, large language models, and other AI-based tools cannot be listed or cited as authors or co-authors.

Authorship requires the ability to take responsibility for the work, approve the final manuscript, respond to questions concerning research integrity, declare conflicts of interest, enter into publication agreements, and remain accountable for the published work. AI systems cannot fulfill these responsibilities.

3. Policy for Editors and Editorial Staff

3.1 Permitted Use

Editors and editorial staff may use AI-assisted tools for limited administrative, linguistic, or technical purposes, provided that such use does not compromise manuscript confidentiality or replace editorial judgment.

Examples may include:

  • language checking of editorial correspondence;

  • grammar correction;

  • formatting assistance;

  • preparation of non-substantive administrative communications; and

  • general background searches that do not involve disclosure of confidential manuscript material.

3.2 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must protect the confidentiality of all unpublished manuscripts and related materials.

They must not enter or upload unpublished manuscripts, manuscript excerpts, reviewer reports, author responses, confidential editorial correspondence, or other protected submission materials into external AI systems where confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

Confidentiality obligations remain in force throughout and after the editorial process.

3.3 Human Editorial Decision-Making

Editorial decisions must always be made by qualified human editors.

AI tools must not be used as the sole or decisive mechanism for:

  • determining manuscript quality;

  • assessing scientific validity;

  • evaluating originality or novelty;

  • assessing methodological rigor;

  • interpreting reviewer comments;

  • resolving publication-ethics cases; or

  • determining acceptance, revision, or rejection.

Similarity-checking or AI-detection results may be used as indicators or supporting information, but they must never constitute the sole basis for an editorial decision. Any flagged case must be assessed by an editor using appropriate evidence and editorial judgment.

Editors remain personally responsible for evaluating manuscripts, interpreting reviewer reports, assessing ethical concerns, making editorial recommendations, and making final editorial decisions.

4. Policy for Peer Reviewers

4.1 Confidentiality

Manuscripts submitted to Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU are confidential documents.

Reviewers must not enter, upload, copy, or transmit a manuscript or any part of a manuscript into a generative AI or other AI system.

This prohibition includes, but is not limited to:

  • manuscript text;

  • abstracts;

  • tables;

  • figures;

  • graphs;

  • research data;

  • equations;

  • research findings;

  • supplementary materials;

  • author responses; and

  • confidential correspondence.

This restriction is intended to protect confidentiality, intellectual property, author rights, unpublished research findings, and the integrity of the peer-review process.

4.2 Independent Peer Review

Reviewers must conduct their scientific assessment independently using their own academic expertise, professional judgment, and critical analysis.

Reviewers must not use AI tools to:

  • analyze or evaluate the scientific content of a manuscript;

  • assess methodology;

  • evaluate novelty;

  • interpret research results;

  • evaluate data;

  • assess scientific arguments or conclusions;

  • generate substantive scientific criticism;

  • summarize the manuscript for the purpose of review; or

  • formulate recommendations concerning publication.

Reviewer reports must represent the reviewer's own independent academic judgment.

4.3 Limited Permitted Use

A reviewer may use AI tools for a general background literature search that does not involve entering, uploading, or disclosing any manuscript content, provided that the reviewer independently verifies the information obtained.

AI tools may also be used for limited language assistance on the reviewer's own independently prepared text only when doing so does not disclose any manuscript content, confidential information, or substantive review material to the AI system.

The reviewer remains fully responsible for the content, accuracy, confidentiality, and academic judgment expressed in the review report.

If a reviewer cannot independently evaluate a manuscript, the reviewer should decline the review assignment and inform the editor.

5. Prohibited and Unacceptable Uses of AI

AI must not be used to:

  • fabricate research data or results;

  • falsify research findings;

  • create nonexistent experiments;

  • generate false participant or experimental data;

  • fabricate references;

  • manipulate scientific images or figures deceptively;

  • invent research results;

  • conceal research limitations;

  • misrepresent scientific evidence;

  • reproduce copyrighted material without appropriate authorization or attribution;

  • facilitate plagiarism or disguise plagiarism;

  • replace the authors' own hypotheses, research design, scientific reasoning, analysis, or interpretation; or

  • otherwise compromise research or publication integrity.

Using AI to substantially rewrite text for the purpose of evading plagiarism or similarity detection is unacceptable.

6. Human Responsibility and Research Integrity

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility from human participants in the publication process to an AI system.

Authors remain responsible for:

  • originality;

  • scientific accuracy;

  • data integrity;

  • ethical compliance;

  • references and citations;

  • interpretation;

  • conclusions; and

  • all submitted manuscript content.

Editors remain responsible for:

  • editorial independence;

  • confidentiality;

  • scientific evaluation;

  • interpretation of peer-review reports;

  • ethical oversight; and

  • final editorial decisions.

Reviewers remain responsible for:

  • independent evaluation;

  • confidentiality;

  • objectivity;

  • scientific criticism; and

  • integrity of the peer-review process.

AI systems cannot assume these responsibilities.

7. Originality, Plagiarism, and Scientific Integrity

AI-assisted writing does not exempt authors from the journal's requirements concerning originality, plagiarism, copyright, and research integrity.

Authors must ensure that AI-assisted content:

  • does not reproduce copyrighted material without appropriate attribution;

  • does not contain plagiarism;

  • does not contain fabricated citations;

  • does not misrepresent the work of others; and

  • does not present unverified generated content as established scientific evidence.

The journal may investigate suspected AI-related irregularities as potential publication misconduct.

8. Where the AI Declaration Appears

To promote consistent disclosure, the Declaration of AI Use will be incorporated into:

  • the manuscript template;

  • the submission checklist in the journal's OJS system; and

  • the published article or PDF galley, where applicable.

9. Non-Compliance

Suspected undeclared, inappropriate, or unethical use of AI will be handled in accordance with the journal's procedures for allegations of research or publication misconduct.

Depending on the nature and severity of the case, possible actions may include:

  • requesting clarification from the authors;

  • requesting correction or revision;

  • returning the manuscript for further review;

  • rejecting the manuscript;

  • terminating the review process;

  • removing a reviewer from a review assignment;

  • restricting or banning future submissions where justified;

  • informing the relevant institutional authorities;

  • issuing a correction or retraction of a published article; or

  • taking other appropriate editorial action consistent with publication ethics.

10. Relationship with Other Journal Policies

This Policy on the Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools should be read together with the journal's:

  • Publication Ethics Policy;

  • Peer Review Process Policy;

  • Author Guidelines;

  • Plagiarism Policy;

  • Copyright Policy; and

  • other relevant editorial policies.

Where AI use raises questions concerning research misconduct, confidentiality, authorship, plagiarism, copyright, or peer-review integrity, the relevant journal policies and publication-ethics procedures shall also apply.

Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU may update this policy when developments in AI technology, publication ethics, or relevant standards require further clarification.