AI Usage Policy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

POLICY ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND GENERATIVE AI IN SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING

Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan

1. Purpose

Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal published by Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu, Indonesia. The journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, scientific originality, transparency, accountability, and ethical standards throughout the scholarly publication process.

This policy establishes requirements for the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted technologies, in manuscript preparation, submission, editorial assessment, peer review, and publication.

The policy aims to ensure that AI technologies support scholarly activities without replacing human intellectual contributions, scientific judgment, professional expertise, or ethical responsibility.

Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan recognizes the potential benefits of AI technologies in improving academic writing, research communication, scientific analysis, and administrative efficiency. However, inappropriate AI use may introduce risks related to scientific accuracy, fabricated information, plagiarism, research data confidentiality, patient privacy, authorship, and publication integrity.

This policy follows internationally recognized publication ethics principles, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

The journal is committed to ensuring that the use of AI technologies contributes to responsible research conduct, reliable scientific communication, and the advancement of knowledge in health sciences.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all individuals involved in the editorial and publication activities of Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan, including:

Authors and co-authors submitting manuscripts to the journal.
The Editor-in-Chief, associate editors, and members of the Editorial Board.
Peer reviewers involved in the scientific assessment of manuscripts.
Editorial staff, copyeditors, layout editors, and other personnel supporting manuscript processing and publication.

This policy covers the use of AI-assisted technologies in original research articles, review articles, systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, case studies, perspective articles, and other scholarly contributions within the journal's focus and scope.

The scientific scope includes nursing, health law, nutrition, midwifery, environmental health, public health, reproductive health, health education, health promotion, and related health sciences.

The policy also applies to AI-assisted activities involving manuscript writing, literature analysis, research methodology, data processing, statistical analysis, clinical or public health data interpretation, image generation, reference preparation, editorial communication, and publication-related processes.

AI-assisted technologies covered by this policy include large language models, generative AI systems, automated writing assistance tools, AI-based analytical applications, image-generation systems, and other technologies capable of generating, modifying, analyzing, or interpreting scholarly content.

Examples include ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and other technologies with comparable capabilities.

3. General Principles

The use of AI technologies in Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan must comply with the following principles:

Human Accountability: Authors, editors, and reviewers remain fully responsible for their scholarly contributions, scientific interpretations, editorial decisions, and professional judgments. AI systems cannot assume responsibility for scientific accuracy, research validity, or publication integrity.
Transparency: The substantive use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies must be clearly disclosed. Authors must provide sufficient information about the tools used, their purposes, and their contributions to manuscript preparation or research activities.
Confidentiality: Unpublished manuscripts, research datasets, patient information, personal health records, participant identities, reviewer reports, and editorial correspondence must not be uploaded to AI systems that cannot adequately protect confidentiality and data privacy.
Academic Integrity: AI must not be used to fabricate, falsify, manipulate, plagiarize, or misrepresent scientific information, clinical findings, research data, statistical results, references, images, or other scholarly materials.
Scientific Originality: AI-assisted technologies must not replace the original intellectual contributions, critical analysis, interpretation, research design, or scientific reasoning of human researchers.
Verification and Accuracy: Authors and editorial personnel must critically evaluate AI-generated content and verify its accuracy, reliability, relevance, and scientific validity before incorporating it into scholarly work.
Ethical Compliance: AI use must comply with applicable research ethics requirements, intellectual property rights, patient confidentiality obligations, data protection regulations, and the journal's publication ethics policies.
Editorial Independence: AI technologies must not independently determine manuscript acceptance, rejection, reviewer recommendations, or other substantive editorial decisions.
Responsible Scientific Communication: AI-generated or AI-assisted information must not mislead readers, exaggerate research findings, or produce unsupported recommendations concerning healthcare practices, clinical interventions, disease prevention, or public health policies.

All individuals involved in the publication process are expected to uphold these principles to protect the credibility, reliability, and integrity of published scientific research.

4. Policy for Authors

4.1 Permitted Use of AI

Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan permits authors to use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies responsibly as supportive tools during manuscript preparation and research-related activities.

Permitted activities include:

Correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, and academic language.
Improving sentence clarity, readability, coherence, and manuscript organization.
Supporting the development of manuscript outlines, research questions, and preliminary research ideas.
Assisting with translation when the translated content is subsequently reviewed, verified, and edited by the authors.
Supporting the identification of relevant scientific terminology and literature search strategies.
Assisting with technical formatting and other tasks that do not replace the authors' intellectual contributions.
Supporting appropriately designed scientific analyses when the use of AI is methodologically justified, documented, validated, and transparently reported.

For health sciences research, AI-assisted methods may be applied to activities such as clinical data analysis, disease risk prediction, epidemiological modeling, health service evaluation, nutritional assessment, medical image analysis, maternal and child health research, nursing care evaluation, environmental health risk assessment, and other computational or analytical research methods.

AI-assisted approaches may also support the analysis of public health interventions, healthcare utilization, health-related behaviors, reproductive health outcomes, and health education programs when scientifically appropriate.

When AI forms part of the research methodology, authors must describe the tools, analytical procedures, validation methods, and limitations in sufficient detail to support scientific evaluation, transparency, and reproducibility.

Authors must ensure that AI-assisted methods are appropriate for the research objectives, supported by scientifically valid procedures, and compliant with applicable ethical requirements.

The use of AI must not replace the authors' responsibility for research design, data collection, scientific analysis, interpretation of findings, clinical or public health recommendations, or research conclusions.

4.2 Mandatory Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must transparently disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation and research activities.

This requirement applies to manuscripts submitted to Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan from the effective date of this policy, as formally established and announced by the Editorial Board.

The disclosure must include:

The name of the AI tool or technology used.
The purpose of its use.
The manuscript section or research activity in which AI assistance was applied, when relevant.
Confirmation that the authors reviewed, verified, and edited the AI-generated content.
Confirmation that the authors accept full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, scientific validity, and integrity of the manuscript.

Authors who use AI-assisted technologies for research data processing, statistical analysis, predictive modeling, clinical image analysis, or image generation must also provide an appropriate methodological explanation in the Methods section.

Routine spelling correction or conventional grammar-checking functions that do not involve generative content creation do not ordinarily require a separate declaration.

However, authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools in manuscript writing, including when such tools substantially improve, rewrite, translate, or generate manuscript content.

Authors must also disclose AI assistance when it substantially contributes to the development of research-related materials, scientific interpretations, or other manuscript components.

Failure to disclose substantive AI assistance may constitute a violation of the journal's publication ethics requirements.

4.3 Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

Authors who use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies during manuscript preparation must include a declaration before the References section.

The following statement must be used:

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process

During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] for [PURPOSE OF USE]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as necessary and take full responsibility for the content of the published article.

Authors must replace the bracketed information with the actual AI tool and its specific purpose.

The declaration must accurately reflect how AI was used during manuscript preparation. Authors remain responsible for verifying the accuracy of all AI-assisted material, including scientific statements, statistical information, references, citations, and research interpretations.

When AI technologies are used as part of the research methodology, authors must additionally provide sufficient methodological information to enable independent scientific evaluation.

If no generative AI technologies were used, authors may provide the following declaration when required by the journal:

Declaration of No Generative AI Use

The author(s) declare that no generative artificial intelligence technologies were used in the preparation of this manuscript.

All AI-related declarations must be truthful, complete, and consistent with the actual manuscript preparation and research processes.

4.4 Prohibited Uses of AI by Authors

Authors must not:

List AI systems, chatbots, or generative AI technologies as authors or co-authors.
Use AI to fabricate or falsify research data, clinical findings, laboratory results, patient information, participant responses, or field observations.
Present AI-generated or synthetic data as actual empirical observations without a scientifically justified methodology and transparent disclosure.
Generate false references, fabricated Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), or nonexistent scientific sources.
Use AI to manipulate research findings, statistical results, clinical outcomes, or public health evidence.
Use AI-generated text to conceal plagiarism, inappropriate paraphrasing, or unauthorized duplication of published materials.
Submit confidential patient information, medical records, participant identities, unpublished datasets, or sensitive research documents to public AI platforms without appropriate authorization and safeguards.
Use AI to generate or manipulate clinical photographs, laboratory images, diagnostic images, research figures, or graphical evidence in ways that misrepresent actual scientific findings.
Allow AI-generated conclusions to replace independent scientific evaluation, clinical reasoning, or critical interpretation.
Present AI-generated content as verified scientific evidence without checking its accuracy, reliability, and scientific validity.
Use AI technologies to generate fabricated ethical approvals, informed consent documentation, clinical trial registrations, or other research-related documents.
Conceal substantive AI assistance that must be disclosed under the journal's publication policies.

All authors are responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted content complies with the journal's Plagiarism Policy, Authorship Criteria, Research Ethics Policy, and other applicable publication requirements.

4.5 Responsibility for Scientific Accuracy

Authors retain full responsibility for the scientific integrity of all submitted manuscripts, regardless of whether AI technologies were used.

Authors must independently verify scientific facts, statistical analyses, references, research interpretations, and conclusions.

Particular attention must be given to AI-assisted health sciences research involving clinical decision-making, patient safety, diagnosis, treatment interventions, disease prevention, maternal and child health, nutritional interventions, epidemiological assessments, environmental health risks, and public health policies.

AI-generated recommendations concerning healthcare practices must not be presented as established scientific evidence without appropriate verification and support from credible scientific sources.

Authors must also critically evaluate potential errors, algorithmic bias, inaccurate interpretations, fabricated references, and other limitations associated with AI-generated outputs.

Where AI-assisted analytical methods are used, authors must ensure that the methods are scientifically appropriate, validated, and adequately described in the manuscript.

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility for errors, misleading statements, ethical violations, or inaccurate scientific conclusions from the authors to the technology provider.

All listed authors remain collectively responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, and integrity of the submitted manuscript.

5. Policy for Editors and the Editorial Team

5.1 Editorial Responsibility

The Editor-in-Chief, associate editors, Editorial Board members, and editorial personnel of Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan remain fully responsible for maintaining the quality, integrity, fairness, and transparency of the editorial process.

Their responsibilities include:

Conducting initial manuscript screening and scientific assessment.
Evaluating manuscript suitability in relation to the journal's focus and scope.
Selecting qualified and independent peer reviewers.
Assessing reviewer recommendations and author responses.
Making appropriate editorial decisions concerning manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection.
Implementing publication ethics policies and addressing potential research misconduct.
Protecting the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and editorial communications.
Ensuring that editorial decisions are based on independent scientific judgment and professional responsibility.

AI technologies must not replace editorial expertise, scientific assessment, or human decision-making.

Final editorial decisions must always be made by authorized human editors in accordance with the journal's established editorial procedures.

5.2 Limitations on AI Use by Editors

Editors and editorial personnel must not upload unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, confidential research information, personal data, or other protected materials into public AI systems or third-party AI tools that do not provide adequate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.

AI must not be used to:

Automatically determine whether a manuscript should be accepted or rejected.
Replace the scientific judgment or professional expertise of an editor.
Make editorial decisions primarily on the basis of AI-generated scores, rankings, or recommendations.
Conduct substantive scientific assessments as a substitute for independent editorial evaluation.
Generate substantive editorial decisions or scientific comments without appropriate human review and approval.
Disclose confidential manuscript information through unauthorized AI-assisted platforms.
Process sensitive patient information, unpublished research data, or protected personal information through inadequately secured systems.

Editors remain accountable for all editorial decisions, communications, and assessments issued under their authority.

5.3 Permitted Use of AI by the Editorial Team

Subject to appropriate human oversight, confidentiality safeguards, and data protection requirements, AI technologies may be used for limited administrative or supportive functions.

Permitted activities may include:

Checking general administrative completeness without disclosing confidential manuscript content.
Organizing non-confidential editorial information.
Assisting with general literature searches using publicly available scientific information.
Improving language clarity in non-confidential editorial communications.
Supporting routine administrative tasks that do not involve independent scientific evaluation.
Using secure and journal-approved AI systems for authorized editorial-support functions.

Any permitted AI assistance must preserve confidentiality, editorial independence, transparency, and human accountability.

The Editorial Board remains responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted editorial activities comply with the journal's publication ethics standards.

6. Policy for Peer Reviewers

6.1 Restrictions on AI Use in Peer Review

To protect the independence, confidentiality, objectivity, and scientific integrity of the peer-review process, peer reviewers of Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan must conduct substantive scientific assessments independently and must not use generative AI technologies as a substitute for their own scholarly expertise and critical judgment.

Peer reviewers must not:

Upload unpublished manuscripts or portions of manuscripts into public AI systems, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, or similar platforms, where confidentiality cannot be assured.
Upload confidential tables, figures, datasets, supplementary materials, patient information, or author-identifying information into unauthorized AI systems.
Ask generative AI to independently evaluate manuscript methodology, research results, scientific discussions, conclusions, or the validity of research findings.
Use AI to recommend editorial decisions such as accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject.
Use AI to generate the substantive scientific content of a peer-review report.
Enter confidential reviewer comments, editorial correspondence, or unpublished manuscript information into AI systems without appropriate authorization and confidentiality safeguards.
Rely on AI-generated analyses, interpretations, or recommendations as the primary basis for their review.
Allow AI-generated content to replace their professional expertise, scientific reasoning, or independent scholarly judgment.

Peer-review reports must reflect the reviewer's independent evaluation of the manuscript based on relevant scientific knowledge, methodological expertise, and professional responsibility.

6.2 Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers are expected to:

Conduct manuscript evaluations independently and objectively.
Maintain strict confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and related editorial information.
Provide constructive, evidence-based, and academically justified comments.
Evaluate scientific originality, methodological rigor, validity, and relevance of the submitted research.
Disclose potential conflicts of interest that may affect the independence or fairness of their assessment.
Ensure that reviewer recommendations are supported by appropriate scientific reasoning.
Refrain from using unpublished research findings or confidential manuscript information for personal, professional, or research purposes.
Comply with the journal's peer-review procedures, confidentiality requirements, and publication ethics policies.

The journal recognizes peer review as an essential scholarly responsibility requiring independent human expertise and critical scientific judgment.

AI technologies must not replace the professional accountability of invited reviewers.

7. AI Disclosure by Editors and Reviewers

When limited AI assistance is permitted for administrative, technical, or supportive purposes that do not involve confidential manuscript content, editors and reviewers must disclose substantive AI use to the Editor-in-Chief or authorized editorial personnel.

The disclosure should identify the AI tool used, its intended purpose, and confirmation that no confidential manuscript information was submitted to the AI system.

The following statement may be used:

AI Use Declaration

During the preparation of this editorial communication or administrative material, I used [NAME OF AI TOOL] solely for [PURPOSE OF USE]. No confidential manuscript content, unpublished research information, or protected personal data were submitted to the AI tool. I independently performed all scientific and editorial assessments and take full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and content of the information provided.

Routine spelling, grammar, punctuation, or language correction that does not involve confidential manuscript information or substantive scientific content may be exempt from mandatory disclosure, subject to the journal's editorial policies.

Any permitted AI-assisted activity must comply with the journal's confidentiality requirements, editorial independence standards, and principles of human accountability.

This provision does not authorize the use of AI to conduct substantive peer review or independently determine editorial decisions.

8. Violations of This Policy

Inappropriate, undisclosed, misleading, or unethical use of AI technologies may constitute a violation of the publication ethics policies of Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan.

The journal reserves the right to evaluate suspected violations and take appropriate editorial action based on the nature, severity, and consequences of the identified concerns.

Possible actions include:

Request for Clarification: Requesting explanations or supporting documentation from authors, editors, reviewers, or other individuals involved.
Correction of AI Disclosure: Requiring accurate disclosure or clarification of AI use in manuscripts or related editorial documents.
Manuscript Revision: Requesting revisions to address inaccurate, misleading, inappropriate, or inadequately verified AI-assisted content.
Manuscript Rejection: Rejecting manuscripts when serious violations of research integrity, originality, confidentiality, or publication ethics are established.
Suspension of Editorial Processing: Temporarily suspending manuscript evaluation while significant ethical concerns are investigated.
Peer-Review Intervention: Replacing a reviewer, terminating an inappropriate review assignment, or restarting the peer-review process when necessary to protect its independence and integrity.
Post-Publication Action: Issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when justified by established publication ethics procedures.
Institutional Notification: Referring serious cases of research or publication misconduct to relevant academic institutions, research organizations, or authorized bodies when appropriate.
Additional Editorial Measures: Implementing other proportionate actions necessary to preserve transparency, accuracy, and scientific integrity in scholarly publishing.

Any investigation concerning AI-related misconduct will be conducted fairly and objectively, considering available evidence and the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved.

Individuals subject to significant allegations should be provided with an appropriate opportunity to respond.

Editorial actions must be proportionate to the nature and severity of the violation and consistent with recognized publication ethics principles.

The journal does not consider the use of AI alone to constitute misconduct when such use is permitted, appropriately disclosed where required, and compliant with this policy.

9. Final Statement

Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan recognizes the potential of Artificial Intelligence and generative AI technologies to support scientific communication, research-related activities, and selected administrative functions in scholarly publishing.

However, AI must remain a supporting technology and must never replace human intellectual contributions, scientific expertise, critical reasoning, ethical responsibility, or independent scholarly judgment.

Authors are fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, and integrity of their manuscripts and must transparently disclose substantive AI assistance in accordance with this policy.

Editors remain responsible for maintaining editorial independence, protecting confidential manuscript information, and making fair and scientifically justified publication decisions.

Peer reviewers must conduct scientific assessments independently and must not use generative AI technologies to replace their scientific evaluation or generate substantive peer-review reports.

All individuals involved in the editorial and publication process are expected to uphold the principles of transparency, confidentiality, fairness, accountability, and academic integrity.

By submitting a manuscript to Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan, authors acknowledge their responsibility to comply with this Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy and the journal's other applicable publication ethics requirements.

This policy shall take effect on the date formally established and announced by the Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to periodically review and update this policy in response to developments in AI technologies, international scholarly publishing standards, research integrity requirements, and recognized publication ethics recommendations.

Through this policy, Poltekita: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan reaffirms its commitment to responsible technological innovation, ethical scholarly communication, and the publication of reliable, original, and scientifically rigorous research in health sciences.