| Post date: 2026/06/27 |
The Practice in Clinical Psychology recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming increasingly integrated into scholarly research and publishing. AI tools can improve language, organization, coding, and other aspects of manuscript preparation; however, they cannot replace scientific judgment, critical thinking, ethical responsibility, or human accountability. The journal supports the responsible and transparent use of AI while ensuring that the integrity of the scholarly record is maintained.
AI and Authorship
Artificial intelligence tools—including, but not limited to, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grammarly, DeepL Write, and similar technologies—cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript. AI systems cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, or ethical conduct of scholarly work, nor can they approve the final version of a manuscript, disclose conflicts of interest, or accept responsibility for published content. Authorship is therefore limited to human contributors who meet the journal’s authorship criteria.
Acceptable Uses of AI
The journal permits the responsible use of AI tools for tasks such as:
- improving grammar, spelling, and writing style;
- enhancing readability and language quality;
- translation of text;
- organizing or summarizing information already prepared by the authors;
- programming assistance or code optimization;
- preparing graphical abstracts or illustrative materials that are not part of the primary scientific evidence.
The use of AI should always be supervised by the authors. All AI-generated content must be carefully reviewed, edited, and verified before submission.
Unacceptable Uses
AI technologies must not be used to:
- generate or fabricate research data, results, or patient information;
- manipulate or falsify images, figures, or scientific evidence;
- create fictitious references or inaccurate citations;
- generate scientific conclusions without appropriate human evaluation;
- conceal plagiarism or duplicate publication;
- produce peer-review reports or editorial decisions on behalf of reviewers or editors.
The use of AI does not reduce the authors’ responsibility for the scientific accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.
Disclosure of AI Use
Authors are expected to disclose any substantive use of generative AI during the preparation of their manuscript.
The disclosure should identify:
The disclosure should identify:
- the AI tool used;
- the purpose of its use;
- the part of the manuscript where AI assistance was applied.
Routine spelling or grammar corrections performed by standard editing software do not normally require disclosure.
The journal recommends including the following statement when appropriate:
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name of AI tool] to assist with [purpose]. All AI-generated suggestions were carefully reviewed, revised where necessary, and verified by the authors. The authors accept full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the final manuscript.
The journal recommends including the following statement when appropriate:
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name of AI tool] to assist with [purpose]. All AI-generated suggestions were carefully reviewed, revised where necessary, and verified by the authors. The authors accept full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the final manuscript.
Accuracy and Verification
Authors remain fully responsible for every aspect of their work, regardless of whether AI has been used.
Before submission, authors should independently verify:
Before submission, authors should independently verify:
- factual statements;
- statistical analyses;
- references and citations;
- quotations;
- tables and figures;
- interpretations and conclusions.
References suggested by AI should never be cited without consulting and verifying the original source.
Confidentiality and Copyright
Authors should not upload confidential manuscripts, identifiable patient information, copyrighted materials, or unpublished data belonging to others into publicly accessible AI systems unless appropriate permission has been obtained and confidentiality can be maintained.
AI-Generated Images and Multimedia
AI-generated illustrations, graphical abstracts, or other visual materials may be submitted when their creation is clearly disclosed and they do not alter, fabricate, or misrepresent scientific findings.
Images that constitute research evidence, including clinical photographs, radiological images, microscopy images, laboratory images, electrophoresis gels, pathology slides, or other scientific data, must accurately represent the original observations and must not be created or substantially modified using generative AI unless explicitly described and scientifically justified.
Editors may request additional information or original files whenever questions arise regarding the authenticity of submitted visual materials.
Images that constitute research evidence, including clinical photographs, radiological images, microscopy images, laboratory images, electrophoresis gels, pathology slides, or other scientific data, must accurately represent the original observations and must not be created or substantially modified using generative AI unless explicitly described and scientifically justified.
Editors may request additional information or original files whenever questions arise regarding the authenticity of submitted visual materials.
Guidance for Reviewers
Peer reviewers are expected to maintain strict confidentiality throughout the review process. Manuscripts, reviewer reports, and supplementary files must not be uploaded to publicly available AI platforms, as doing so may compromise confidentiality and copyright.
Reviewers may use AI only for limited language assistance that does not expose confidential manuscript content. Scientific assessment, interpretation, and recommendations must always be based on the reviewer’s own independent judgment.
Reviewers may use AI only for limited language assistance that does not expose confidential manuscript content. Scientific assessment, interpretation, and recommendations must always be based on the reviewer’s own independent judgment.
Guidance for Editors
Editors may use AI-assisted technologies to support administrative tasks, language editing, workflow management, or technical checks. However, AI must not replace editorial judgment.
All editorial decisions, including manuscript evaluation, peer review, acceptance, rejection, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions, remain the sole responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.
All editorial decisions, including manuscript evaluation, peer review, acceptance, rejection, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions, remain the sole responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.
Editorial Response to Inappropriate AI Use
Where inappropriate or undisclosed use of AI is identified, the journal may request clarification, revision, or additional documentation from the authors.
If the use of AI involves scientific or publication misconduct, the journal will act in accordance with its Publication Ethics Policy and internationally recognized ethical standards. Depending on the circumstances, editorial actions may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, issuance of an expression of concern, or retraction of the published article.
If the use of AI involves scientific or publication misconduct, the journal will act in accordance with its Publication Ethics Policy and internationally recognized ethical standards. Depending on the circumstances, editorial actions may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, issuance of an expression of concern, or retraction of the published article.
Citation of AI-Generated Content
When authors directly quote, paraphrase, or summarize AI-generated content, its use should be appropriately acknowledged in accordance with the journal’s reference style. Information and references provided by AI should always be independently verified before being incorporated into a manuscript.
Policy Review
Artificial intelligence technologies continue to evolve rapidly. Accordingly, this policy may be revised periodically to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, emerging ethical guidance, and international best pra
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By-NC), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
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