GENERATIVE AI POLICIES

Journal of Social Welfare Research and Practice acknowledges the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic research and writing. The journal establishes the following policy to ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical use of AI technologies in scholarly publishing.

1. Permissible Use of Generative AI

Authors may use generative AI tools (e.g., language models or grammar assistance tools) only as supportive aids, such as for:

  • Language editing and grammar improvement

  • Enhancing clarity and readability of the manuscript

  • Generating summaries of content authored by the researchers

The use of generative AI must not replace the authors’ original intellectual contribution.

2. Prohibited Use of Generative AI

Generative AI tools must not be used to:

  • Generate original research ideas, hypotheses, or theoretical frameworks without substantial human contribution

  • Create or manipulate research data, results, or images

  • Perform data analysis or interpretation autonomously

  • Write entire sections of a manuscript that are presented as original scholarly work

  • Replace human authorship or responsibility

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors under any circumstances.

3. Disclosure Requirement

Authors must clearly disclose the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript, typically in the Acknowledgements or a dedicated AI Use Statement, specifying:

  • The name of the AI tool used

  • The purpose of its use

Failure to disclose AI usage may be considered a breach of publication ethics.

4. Author Responsibility and Accountability

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  • The accuracy, originality, and integrity of the content

  • Proper citation of all sources

  • Ensuring that AI-generated content does not contain plagiarism, bias, or misinformation

The use of AI does not absolve authors from ethical or legal responsibilities.

5. Reviewers and Editors’ Use of AI

Reviewers and editors may use AI tools only to support language evaluation or administrative tasks, provided that:

  • Manuscript confidentiality is strictly maintained

  • Manuscript content is not uploaded to public or unsecured AI platforms

AI tools must not be used to make final editorial or review decisions.

6. Detection and Ethical Oversight

The journal reserves the right to employ appropriate tools to detect undisclosed or inappropriate use of generative AI. Suspected misuse will be handled in accordance with the journal’s Ethics and Malpractice Statement and COPE guidelines, which may result in rejection, revision requests, or retraction.

7. Policy Updates

This policy will be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect developments in generative AI technologies and evolving ethical standards in scholarly publishing.