AI Ethics Policy

AI Ethics Policy

Jurnal Sinergitas PKM & CSR recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including generative AI such as large language models, can support scholarly writing and publishing. Their use, however, must be responsible, transparent, and consistent with the principles of academic integrity. This policy follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies to authors, reviewers, and editors.

1. Authors

a. AI cannot be an author. AI tools do not meet the criteria for authorship because they cannot take responsibility for the content of a manuscript, approve its final version, or declare conflicts of interest. AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

b. Permitted use. Authors may use AI tools to help with, among other things:

  • improving grammar, spelling, and readability;
  • translating text, provided the authors check the result;
  • drafting an outline or organizing the structure of the manuscript;
  • supporting data analysis, provided the method and tools are described in the Methods section.

c. Prohibited use. Authors must not:

  • use AI to generate data, activity outcomes, or findings that were not actually obtained from the community service (PKM) or CSR activity carried out;
  • present photos, images, or activity documentation created or altered with AI as if they were genuine records of the activity;
  • cite references generated by AI without verifying that they exist and are relevant;
  • enter personal data of partners, participants, or target communities into AI tools that do not guarantee data confidentiality.

d. Disclosure. Any use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript must be disclosed in an AI Use Statement placed before the References. The statement must name the tool, its version (if known), the purpose of use, and the sections of the manuscript affected. Basic spelling and grammar checkers (such as those built into word processors) do not need to be disclosed.

Example statement:

EN: AI Use Statement: In preparing this manuscript, the authors used [tool name, version] to [purpose, e.g. improve the grammar of the Introduction and Discussion sections]. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the output and take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

ID: Pernyataan Penggunaan AI: Dalam penyusunan naskah ini, penulis menggunakan [nama alat, versi] untuk [tujuan, misalnya memperbaiki tata bahasa pada bagian Pendahuluan dan Pembahasan]. Setelah menggunakan alat tersebut, penulis meninjau dan menyunting hasilnya serta bertanggung jawab penuh atas isi naskah.

Authors who did not use generative AI may write: “The authors did not use generative AI tools in preparing this manuscript.”

e. Author responsibility. Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the entire manuscript, including any part prepared with AI assistance. Authors must ensure that AI output introduces no plagiarism, factual errors, or bias.

2. Reviewers

a. Manuscripts under review are confidential. Reviewers must not upload a manuscript, any part of it, or their review report to generative AI tools, as this may breach the confidentiality and intellectual property rights of the authors.

b. The scholarly assessment is the reviewer’s responsibility and must not be delegated to AI. Reviewers may use AI only to improve the language of their own review report, without entering any manuscript content.

3. Editors

a. Editors keep manuscripts and correspondence confidential and do not upload them to generative AI tools.

b. Editorial decisions are made by editors and are not based on AI output.

c. The journal may use similarity-checking software and other supporting tools that protect data confidentiality to screen manuscripts.

4. Violations

Undisclosed use of AI, or use that does not comply with this policy, is considered a breach of publication ethics. Depending on its severity, the editors may request clarification or revision, reject the manuscript, or retract a published article, following the procedures in the journal’s Publication Ethics and COPE guidelines.

5. Policy Review

As AI technology continues to develop, this policy will be reviewed and updated periodically by the editorial board.