Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools in academic publishing is rapidly increasing. Contemporary English Teaching and Linguistics acknowledges the valuable role of AI in enhancing scholarly writing, data analysis, and research workflows. However, AI also raises ethical, legal, and academic integrity concerns. To uphold the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and research ethics, the journal adopts the following policy on the use of AI tools in research, writing, peer review, and publishing.

Principles and Rationale

  • Authorship, accountability, and intellectual contribution remain exclusively human responsibilities. AI cannot be considered an author, co-author, or corresponding author because it lacks the ability to take responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of scholarly work.
  • AI use is permitted only when it supports human authors (e.g., grammar correction, style enhancement, data visualization), but it must not replace critical thinking, scholarly argumentation, or interpretation.
  • Transparency in disclosing AI use is essential to maintaining trust in academic publishing.

Acceptable Uses of AI in Research and Writing

Authors may use AI tools responsibly for limited purposes, such as:

  • Language editing and proofreading (e.g., improving grammar, syntax, clarity, or style).
  • Reference formatting (but references must always be manually verified).
  • Data processing and analysis support (e.g., using AI-powered software for statistical modeling, corpus analysis, or natural language processing, provided the methods are transparent and reproducible).
  • Visualization (e.g., AI-assisted generation of charts, figures, or illustrations, with clear labeling).

All such uses must be fully disclosed in the manuscript to ensure transparency.

Prohibited and Unacceptable Uses of AI

The following uses of AI are considered violations of the journal’s ethical standards:

  • Generating text, paragraphs, or entire manuscripts using AI without proper human authorship, reflection, and revision.
  • Fabricating data, results, or references with AI. This includes false citations often generated by large language models.
  • Undisclosed AI paraphrasing that may constitute plagiarism or self-plagiarism.
  • Manipulating images, graphs, or data outputs in ways that misrepresent findings or mislead readers.
  • Using AI in peer review or editorial decision-making to evaluate manuscripts, as this compromises confidentiality and human judgment.

Any manuscript found to have violated these rules will be rejected or retracted, and further sanctions may apply.

Disclosure and Transparency Requirements

To ensure transparency:

  • Authors must explicitly declare in the Acknowledgments sectionif and how AI tools were used.
  • The disclosure must include:
    • The name of the tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, Quillbot, NVivo AI module).
    • The version or release date where available.
    • A description of the specific function performed by the tool (e.g., grammar checking, translation assistance, corpus analysis).

Example disclosure statement:

“The authors used Grammarly (version XX) to check grammar and improve language clarity. No AI tool was used to generate, analyze, or interpret the research findings.”

Failure to disclose AI use will be treated as an ethical violation.

AI and Authorship Criteria

  • AI systems cannot be credited as authors or co-authors.
  • Authorship requires the ability to:
    • Make substantial scholarly contributions.
    • Approve the final version of the manuscript.
    • Take public responsibility for the integrity of the work.
      Since AI tools do not fulfill these conditions, all accountability rests with the human authors.

AI in Peer Review and Editorial Processes

  • Peer reviewers and editors must not upload manuscripts (or parts of them) to AI platforms, as this breaches confidentiality.
  • If AI is used to improve the clarity of reviewer comments (e.g., grammar checking), it must not compromise the confidentiality of the manuscript.
  • Editorial decisions are made solely by human editors and reviewers, not AI.

AI in Linguistics and Language Education Research

Given the focus of the journal, authors using AI in linguistics, discourse analysis, or language education must:

  • Clearly explain how AI-assisted tools were applied (e.g., machine translation, corpus tagging, discourse parsing).
  • Demonstrate methodological rigor and reproducibility.
  • Respect ethical considerations in handling participant data when using AI-based transcription or anonymization tools.

Accountability and Consequences

  • Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of their manuscripts, even when AI tools are used.
  • Misuse of AI that results in plagiarism, data fabrication, or other misconduct will lead to:
    • Immediate rejection of the submission or retraction of published work.
    • Notification of the authors’ institution(s) or funding body.
    • A possible publishing ban for a defined period.

Policy Review and Alignment

This policy is continuously reviewed to align with international best practices, including:

  • COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
  • Elsevier and Springer Nature AI in publishing policies.
  • Scopus standards on transparency, authorship, and ethical publishing.

As AI technologies evolve, Contemporary English Teaching and Linguistics will update its AI policy accordingly to ensure the highest levels of integrity and trust in academic publishing.