AI Policy

AI authorship

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT or similar generative tools, do not meet the authorship criteria of JACN. Authorship implies responsibility, accountability, and intellectual contribution to the work, criteria that cannot be fulfilled by non-human entities.

If any part of the manuscript was developed with the assistance of an LLM or other AI-based tool, its use must be clearly disclosed in the Methods section, or in an appropriate alternative section if Methods are not included.

Note: Use of AI for copy editing assistance, such as improving grammar, punctuation, syntax, clarity, or style, does not need to be declared. In this context, “AI-assisted copy editing” refers solely to human-initiated edits to improve readability and format, and does not include the generation of original content or autonomous writing. In all cases, authors remain fully responsible for the final content, and must ensure that any AI-assisted revisions accurately reflect their original intentions.

Generative AI images and visuals

Due to unresolved legal and ethical implications, JACN does not permit the publication of AI-generated images or figures unless they fall within narrowly defined exceptions:

-Images sourced from third-party providers with which JACN holds valid copyright agreements and where the image was generated in a legally compliant manner.

-Figures or visuals that are themselves the subject of the research (e.g., in studies about generative AI), which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

-AI-generated scientific visuals created using traceable, verifiable, and ethically sound data sources, provided authors disclose the tool used and adhere to copyright and usage guidelines.

All exceptions must be explicitly labeled in the figure caption as "Generated by AI."

Authors using non-generative machine learning tools (e.g., for image enhancement or data visualization) must disclose such use in the figure legends, to ensure transparency and enable editorial review.

AI use in peer review

Peer reviewers are selected for their subject expertise and their critical role in ensuring the quality, validity, and credibility of scientific work. JACN does not permit the uploading or sharing of submitted manuscripts with generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.), due to the following concerns:

-Potential leakage of confidential or proprietary content

-Inaccuracies or hallucinations in AI-generated content

-Breach of the trust that underpins the peer review process

If a reviewer uses an AI tool to support any part of the manuscript evaluation, they must clearly disclose this in their review report, specifying the tool used and the purpose.

Editorial use of AI

JACN may occasionally use editorial AI tools (developed internally or in partnership with trusted providers) to assist in the preparation of accessory content such as:

-Plain language summaries

-Editorial key points

-Glossaries or highlights

-Social media descriptors

All such content will be reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by editorial staff and/or authors to ensure consistency with JACN’s publication standards. Any substantive use of AI beyond accessory functions will be disclosed on a per-article basis.

Policy Review

Given the rapid evolution of generative AI technologies and ethical frameworks, this policy will be periodically reviewed and updated in line with best practices in scientific publishing.