Editorial Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The journal is aligned with the principles of COPE (Promoting integrity in scholarly research and its publication). It recognises that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, including generative AI, may be used in support of research and scientific writing. However, their use must comply with the principles of scientific integrity, transparency, human responsibility, confidentiality and research ethics in the Social Sciences.

1. Authorship and Responsibility

AI tools may not be listed as authors or co-authors of manuscripts. Only persons and/or organisations as authors may assume scientific authorship, since authorship entails intellectual, ethical and legal responsibility for the published content.

Authors assume full responsibility for all content of the manuscript, including text, data, analyses, interpretations, references and conclusions, irrespective of the use of AI tools.

2. Use of AI by AUTHORS

The use of AI is permitted for:

  • Support in writing and improving linguistic clarity.
  • Grammatical and stylistic revision.
  • Preliminary organisation of ideas or exploratory abstracts.

2.1. Obligation of Declaration (Disclosure)

Authors must explicitly declare the use of AI whenever it has influenced the content of the manuscript. The declaration must include:

  • Name of the tool and, where possible, version.
  • Purpose of use (e.g. linguistic revision, analytical support, generation of drafts).
  • Confirmation that the content has been reviewed, validated and assumed by the authors.
  • The declaration must appear in a dedicated section entitled ‘Use of Artificial Intelligence,’ before the ‘References’ section.
  • Where AI has not been used, authors must include in the ‘Use of Artificial Intelligence’ section the following statement: ‘The authors declare that no artificial intelligence tool, including generative AI, was used in the writing, data analysis or preparation of this manuscript’.

2.2. Non-Permitted Uses

It is not permitted to:

  • Use AI to fabricate data, empirical results, interviews, observations or conclusions.
  • Submit texts, images or bibliographical references generated by AI without rigorous verification.
  • Use AI to generate or alter images, unless this forms an explicit part of the research method and is duly justified.
  • Enter personal data, identifiable extracts of interviews, field diaries or confidential material into AI tools.

2.3. Use of AI in Research Methodology

Where AI is used as part of the method (for example, text analysis, assisted coding, automatic classification), this must be described transparently in the Methodology section, ensuring comprehensibility, traceability and critical evaluation of the results.

3. Use of AI by REVIEWERS

Reviewers must not:

  • Enter manuscripts, extracts, data, tables or annexes submitted to the journal into AI tools.
  • Use AI to replace their scientific judgement.
  • The use of AI may be tolerated only for linguistic improvements to the review report, provided that no content of the manuscript is entered into the tool and such use is declared to the editor.

4. Confidentiality and Data Protection

The use of AI in the editorial context must not compromise the confidentiality of the peer review process, authorship rights, or the protection of personal data, particularly in sociological research based on sensitive qualitative data.

5. Non-Compliance

Failure to disclose or improper use of AI may result in rejection of the manuscript, requests for further clarification, or other editorial measures, in accordance with the principles of scientific integrity.

6. Policy Review

This policy shall be reviewed periodically, in line with developments in editorial, technological and ethical practices in scientific publishing.