This policy explains the responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted technologies in the preparation, submission, review, and publication of manuscripts submitted to Vifada Management and Social Sciences. It promotes transparency, human accountability, confidentiality, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

AI Cannot Be an Author

AI tools and AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship requires human contributions and the ability to take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and final approval of the work.

Author Responsibility and Human Oversight

Authors remain fully responsible for all content in their manuscripts, including material created or revised with AI assistance. Authors must critically review and verify AI-generated output for accuracy, completeness, bias, originality, and relevance. AI must not replace the authors’ scholarly judgment, analysis, interpretation, or intellectual contribution.

Accuracy, Citations, and Research Integrity

Authors must independently verify factual claims, data, quotations, and references generated or suggested by AI. AI-generated citations must not be used without checking that the cited sources exist and support the claims. AI must not be used to fabricate or falsify data, results, sources, or research images.

Authors must disclose the use of GenAI or AI-assisted technologies when these tools contribute to manuscript content, analysis, translation, coding, or the creation of figures and images. The disclosure should identify:

• The name of the tool or service and, where available, its model or version
• The purpose of its use
• The section, task, or material for which it was used
• The extent of the AI contribution and the authors’ review or verification of its output

Where to Disclose

• For manuscript preparation, include a separate Declaration of AI Use before the References.
• For AI used in research methods, data analysis, or coding, describe the use in the Methods section with enough detail to support reproducibility.
• For AI-generated or AI-assisted figures and images, disclose the tool and its role in the relevant figure caption as well as in the general declaration.

Routine spelling, grammar, or punctuation checks that do not make substantive changes to the manuscript generally do not require a declaration. Authors should disclose AI use when the tool makes substantial changes to wording, structure, meaning, or scholarly content.

Writing or language assistance

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name of tool and version] to assist with [specific purpose and section]. The authors reviewed and revised the output, verified its accuracy, and take full responsibility for the final content of the manuscript.”

AI-assisted figure or image

“Figure [number] was created or assisted using [name of tool and version] for [specific purpose]. The authors reviewed the figure and take responsibility for its accuracy and relevance.”

AI-assisted explanatory illustrations may be used when they are clearly identified, factually accurate, and appropriately disclosed. AI must not be used to fabricate, alter, or misrepresent primary research images, underlying data, or results. Data visualizations produced with AI assistance must be derived from the underlying data using a reproducible method, which must be described in the Methods section.

Submitted manuscripts and peer-review reports are confidential. Reviewers and editors must not upload or disclose a manuscript, review, or identifying information to public or third-party AI tools where confidentiality cannot be assured, unless explicit permission has been obtained from the relevant parties and the journal. Editorial decisions and peer-review recommendations remain the responsibility of human editors and reviewers.

Non-Disclosure

Failure to disclose substantive AI use, or the use of AI to generate or manipulate data, references, or research images, may lead to editorial action in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics and correction policies.