The AATS Journals are published by Elsevier and follow Elsevier’s policies for the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in scientific writing. Elsevier’s full Author Policy is available here. Please see “The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific writing.”
Below are FAQs regarding the use of generative AI tools for authors who are submitting to the AATS Journals.
1. What are the AATS Journals’ policies for the use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT?
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work is original. Authors are allowed to use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process before submission, but only to improve the language and readability of their paper and with the appropriate disclosure.
Where authors use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the technology should be done with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the result. AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased.
AI and AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as an author or co-author, or be cited as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans.
2. If I use ChatGPT or another generative AI tool to improve my manuscript’s language, what disclosure statement do I need to include?
Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by adding a statement at the end of their manuscript before the References list. The statement should be placed in a new section entitled “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.”
The following statement can be amended for use:
During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.
The above declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, or references (such as Grammarly or reference management tools such as EndNote or Zotero). These tools can be used by authors without disclosure.
If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement.
3. Why should authors think twice before uploading their entire manuscript into large language model (LLM) chatbots such as ChatGPT to obtain writing tips?
It is not recommended to upload your entire paper into LLM chatbots such as ChatGPT. If you want to upload small snippets of your paper with the goal of getting writing tips (grammar, diction, syntax), then that may be ok, if you have the permission of all of your co-authors. We advise authors to carefully read and consider the Terms of Use before uploading any intellectual content into an LLM chatbot. By using ChatGPT, you are entering into a trade of information with a company, in this case OpenAI. Moreover, it may be wiser to use a more focused tool such as Grammarly if you are looking for writing tips.
4. Can I use AI and AI-assisted tools in formal research design or research methods?
Yes. We recognize that this is common in many fields. Where AI or AI-assisted tools are used in this context, they should be described as part of the methodology of the work, with details provided in the Methods section.
Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by adding a statement at the end of their manuscript before the References list. The statement should be placed in a new section entitled “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.”
5. Can I use generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images?
No. The AATS Journals prohibit the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts. This may include enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing a specific feature within an image or figure. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable if and as long as they do not obscure or eliminate any information present in the original. Image forensics tools or specialized software might be applied to submitted manuscripts to identify suspected image irregularities.
The only exception is if the use of AI or AI-assisted tools is part of the research design or research methods (such as in AI-assisted imaging approaches to generate or interpret the underlying research data, for example in the field of biomedical imaging). If this is done, such use must be described in a reproducible manner in the methods section. This should include an explanation of how the AI or AI-assisted tools were used in the image creation or alteration process, and the name of the model or tool, version and extension numbers, and manufacturer. Authors should adhere to the AI software’s specific usage policies and ensure correct content attribution. Where applicable, authors could be asked to provide pre-AI-adjusted versions of images and/or the composite raw images used to create the final submitted versions, for editorial assessment.
The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the production of graphical abstracts is not permitted.