Updated Publication Ethics and Generative AI Policy

The International Journal of Research and Community Empowerment (IJoRCE) has updated its Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement and Generative Artificial Intelligence Utilization Policy to strengthen responsible, transparent, and ethical scholarly publishing.

The main updates include:

1. Strengthened Publication Ethics Principles

IJoRCE has strengthened its commitment to transparency, accountability, confidentiality, fairness, editorial independence, peer-review integrity, authorship responsibility, and protection of the scholarly record. The updated policy provides clearer responsibilities for editors, reviewers, authors, editorial staff, and other parties involved in the publication process.

2. Clearer Guidance on Authorship and Authorship Disputes

The updated policy clarifies that authorship must be based on substantial scholarly contribution and human accountability. Authorship disputes must be resolved by the authors and, where necessary, by their institutions or relevant authorities. The journal may suspend the editorial or publication process until such disputes are resolved. Any request to change authorship after submission must be submitted in writing, supported by a clear reason, and approved by all authors concerned.

3. Clearer Procedures for Misconduct and Post-Publication Actions

The updated policy provides clearer procedures for complaints, appeals, research misconduct, corrections, errata, corrigenda, expressions of concern, manuscript withdrawal, article retraction, article removal, article replacement, and other editorial notices. These procedures are intended to maintain the accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the scholarly record.

4. Clarification on Fees and Post-Publication Changes

The updated policy clarifies that post-publication changes requested by authors, manuscript withdrawal, author-initiated retraction requests, and article replacement may be subject to administrative, editorial, review-related, technical, or production-related charges as stated in the journal’s Publication Fees Policy. These charges do not influence peer review, editorial decisions, acceptance, rejection, correction, retraction, removal, replacement, or the journal’s responsibility to maintain the scholarly record.

5. Stronger Ethical Oversight

The updated policy clarifies ethical requirements for research involving human participants, communities, schools, students, teachers, vulnerable groups, confidential data, personal data, images, recordings, or other sensitive materials. Authors are responsible for obtaining ethical clearance, institutional permission, informed consent, parental or guardian consent, community permission, data access permission, or other required approvals where applicable.

6. Clearer Principles for the Use of Generative AI

IJoRCE has clarified that generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), AI-assisted technologies, and language-assistance tools may be used only as supportive tools. Such tools must not replace human responsibility, scholarly judgment, critical thinking, ethical accountability, authorship responsibility, peer-review integrity, editorial independence, or editorial decision-making.

7. Mandatory Disclosure of AI and Language-Assistance Tools

Authors must disclose any use of Gen AI, AI-assisted technologies, or language-assistance tools in the manuscript. This includes tools used for grammar checking, spelling checking, punctuation checking, language polishing, translation, paraphrasing, readability improvement, reference assistance, coding assistance, data-related assistance, figure preparation, or other manuscript-related support. IJoRCE also requires disclosure for grammar, spelling, punctuation, translation, paraphrasing, and similar language-assistance tools.

8. Stronger Limits on AI Misuse

AI tools cannot be credited as authors or co-authors. Authors must not use AI to replace scholarly contribution, fabricate or falsify data, manipulate images, conceal plagiarism, manipulate citations, or generate false, inaccurate, unverifiable, non-existent, fabricated, or misleading citations and references. If AI is used as part of the research method, data analysis, coding, visualization, or other substantive research activities, it must be described clearly in the Methods section.

9. Clearer Rules for Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers may use AI-assisted or language-assistance tools only for limited language-support purposes in preparing review reports, such as improving grammar, spelling, clarity, readability, or structure of comments already written by the reviewer. Reviewers must not use AI to review, evaluate, interpret, analyze, criticize, or determine the scholarly merit of manuscripts. Editors and editorial staff may use local, private, secure, or journal-controlled AI tools only for limited supportive purposes and must not use AI to make or replace editorial decisions.

10. Stronger Protection of Confidentiality and Accountability

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff must protect confidential manuscripts, reviewer reports, author responses, data, figures, supplementary files, editorial communications, and other unpublished materials. Confidential materials must not be uploaded to public, unsecured, cloud-based, or unauthorized AI tools or external systems. Failure to comply with the updated policies may result in editorial action in accordance with the journal’s Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.

Through these updates, IJoRCE aims to strengthen publication ethics, promote transparency in the use of emerging technologies, protect the confidentiality of scholarly materials, and maintain the reliability and trustworthiness of the scholarly record. Authors, reviewers, editors, editorial staff, and all parties involved in the publication process are expected to read, understand, and comply with the updated policies.