Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Global Virology Reports (GVR) recognizes the emerging utility of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language model (LLM) tools in research and manuscript preparation. However, the use of such tools introduces significant ethical and scholarly considerations. This policy mandates transparency, accountability, and human oversight in all AI-assisted work. Authors retain full responsibility for the entire content of their manuscript, including any portion developed with AI assistance.

Permissible Use with Disclosure
AI tools may be used for assistance in specific tasks, including but not limited to:

·       Writing Assistance: Improving readability, grammar, and language.

·       Ideation & Literature Search: Generating initial ideas or summarizing literature (with verification required).

·       Data Analysis: Executing code or statistical analyses as directed by the authors.

·       Figure Preparation: Creating or enhancing schematic diagrams.

Author Responsibilities and Mandatory Disclosure
Authors who use AI tools must:

·       Disclose: Provide a full declaration in the "Acknowledgments" or a dedicated "AI Assistance" section, specifying the AI tool used (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, DALL-E), the version number, and a description of how it was applied to the work.

·       Verify: Assume ultimate responsibility for rigorously checking the accuracy, validity, and appropriateness of all AI-generated content, including factual statements, code, analyses, and citations.

·       Cite: Ensure that all references and sources cited in the manuscript are real, accurately represented, and have been verified by the authors. AI tools are prone to fabricating references.

Prohibited Uses and Authorship

·       Non-Authorship: AI tools cannot fulfill the criteria for authorship as defined by the ICMJE and therefore must not be listed as an author or co-author on the manuscript. Authorship implies accountability and intellectual contribution, which an AI cannot possess.

·       No Data Generation: AI must not be used to generate, fabricate, or simulate primary research data (e.g., creating synthetic datasets, experimental results, or patient images).

·       No Unverified Content: The submission of text, code, or figures generated by an AI without thorough human review and validation is unacceptable.

Consequences for Misuse
Failure to disclose the use of AI tools, or the submission of AI-generated content that is unverified, fabricated, or plagiaristic, will be treated as scientific misconduct. This will trigger an investigation per COPE guidelines and may result in sanctions including manuscript rejection, retraction of a published article, and a ban on future submissions.