Generative AI Guidance for Authors and Reviewers

Generative AI Guidance

Responsible, transparent, and ethical use of artificial intelligence in scholarly publishing.

Language Education, Networks and Studies (LENS) recognizes the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in scholarly publishing. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and ethical standards of their manuscripts.

Guidance for Authors

AI may be used responsibly for limited supporting tasks, provided that its use is transparent, appropriately disclosed, and consistent with research ethics.

Permitted Uses of AI

Proofreading and Editing

AI may assist with spelling, grammar, punctuation, readability, sentence structure, and general language improvement.

Reference Management

AI-assisted tools may support reference organization and citation formatting. Authors must independently verify the accuracy, relevance, and existence of every cited source.

Generating Ideas

AI may be used for brainstorming or generating prompts. However, the core research questions, scholarly arguments, critical analysis, and intellectual contributions must remain the authors' own work.

Creating Visuals

AI may assist in creating supplementary diagrams, illustrations, or graphics, provided that the use of AI is disclosed where required and the visuals do not misrepresent research evidence.

Data Organization

AI may assist with basic data organization, classification, or sorting. Authors remain responsible for data quality, methodological decisions, interpretation, and conclusions.

Prohibited Uses

AI must not be used to fabricate or falsify data, manipulate findings, generate misleading evidence, conceal plagiarism, or replace the authors' substantive academic reasoning, analysis, and conclusions. Authors must not present AI-generated content as verified evidence without appropriate scrutiny.

AI Disclosure

Authors who use AI tools in preparing their manuscripts must disclose the tool used and explain its specific purpose. The disclosure should be included in an appropriate section of the manuscript, such as an AI-use statement or acknowledgements, in accordance with the journal's submission instructions. Authors must review and verify all AI-assisted content and remain fully responsible for the final work.

AI and Authorship

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the integrity, originality, and accountability of scholarly work. Authorship responsibility rests with the human contributors who meet the journal's authorship requirements.

Guidance for Reviewers

01. Confidentiality

Reviewers must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, unpublished research, author identities, and all materials received during the peer-review process.

02. Do Not Upload Confidential Materials to AI

Reviewers must not upload, paste, or submit manuscripts or confidential review materials to public or third-party Generative AI systems when doing so could compromise confidentiality, privacy, or intellectual property. Reviewers must follow the journal's review policy and applicable data-protection requirements.

Important

The use of AI does not transfer academic or ethical responsibility from authors or reviewers to the AI tool. All participants must uphold academic integrity, transparency, confidentiality, and research integrity.

For further information on publication ethics, please consult:

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) ›

LENS · GENERATIVE AI GUIDANCE
Language Education, Networks and Studies