Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

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Asian Review of Social Sciences (ARSS) requires transparency, human accountability, confidentiality and research integrity when generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) or AI-assisted tools are used in manuscript preparation, peer review, editorial assessment or publication. This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors and journal staff.

1. AI Use by Authors

Authors may use GenAI or AI-assisted tools for limited assistive purposes such as language refinement, organisation of text, coding assistance, data-visualisation support or other research-support tasks. AI use must not replace human scholarly judgement, verification, interpretation or responsibility.

Authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, references, permissions, analysis, interpretation, conclusions and the overall integrity of the manuscript.

2. AI Authorship Prohibition

AI tools, large language models, chatbots and other non-human systems must not be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot accept authorship accountability, approve a final manuscript or take responsibility for the published record.

3. Disclosure Requirements

Substantive use of GenAI or AI-assisted tools should be disclosed in the manuscript or accompanying declarations. The disclosure should identify the tool and explain its purpose sufficiently for editors and readers to understand its contribution. Routine spelling or grammar checking that does not generate substantive content need not normally be disclosed unless the submission system requires it.

4. AI-Generated Images, Data, References and Research Content

AI tools must not be used to fabricate, falsify or misleadingly manipulate data, results, images, references, quotations or evidence. AI-assisted references, factual claims and research content must be checked against reliable original sources. AI-assisted figures, code, data processing and visualisations must accurately represent the underlying research.

5. AI Use by Reviewers

Peer review remains a human responsibility under the ARSS Peer Review Process. Reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts, figures, supplementary files, review reports or author information to public AI systems or services whose terms may permit retention, reuse, training or disclosure that compromises confidentiality.

6. AI Use by Editors

Editorial decisions must remain human decisions. Editors must not delegate acceptance, rejection, reviewer selection, ethical judgement or other substantive editorial decisions to an AI system. Confidential manuscripts, reviewer reports, author information and internal correspondence must not be uploaded to AI services where confidentiality could be compromised.

7. Confidentiality of Manuscripts Uploaded to AI Systems

Unpublished manuscripts and related editorial materials are confidential. Users of AI services must consider privacy, retention, reuse, training and disclosure terms before entering manuscript-related content. This requirement operates together with the ARSS Privacy Policy.

8. Human Accountability and Verification

Use of AI does not reduce or transfer responsibility. Authors are responsible for all submitted content, reviewers for the integrity and independence of their reports, and editors for editorial decisions and protection of the scholarly record.

9. Non-Compliance

Failure to comply may be treated as a publication-ethics concern under the ARSS Publication Ethics & Publication Malpractice Statement and Post-Publication and Accountability Policy. Action will depend on the nature and seriousness of the concern.