Information on AI taken from Internet.

Varied information from PubMed, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, YouTube and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).  

Should editors accept generative AI in nursing articles?

Yes, but with strict limitations. Most nursing and medical journals accept generative AI for editing and formatting text but strictly prohibit its use for generating data, fabricating references, or serving as an author. Because nursing articles impact clinical care, maintaining human oversight and strict transparency is essential.

The Industry Standard: What is Allowed vs. Prohibited:

Acceptable Use:

 Language Polish: Using AI (like ChatGPT or Claude) to improve readability, grammar, and style. Outlining: Brainstorming or organizing initial thoughts and outlines before writing. Formatting: Helping structure references or format the paper to specific journal guidelines.

Prohibited Use:

Authorship:

AI tools cannot be listed or cited as authors, as they cannot take accountability for the research. Data Generation: Creating or manipulating data, study design, and research findings is considered research misconduct.

Fabricating  References: AI is known to "hallucinate" authoritative-sounding citations that do not exist; these must not be submitted.

Essential Requirements for Authors

Full Accountability: Human authors are entirely responsible for the scientific validity, accuracy, and ethical standards of the paper.

Mandatory Disclosure: If AI is used in the writing process, authors must declare it. Journals generally require a formal Declaration of Generative AI before the references section, detailing which tools were used and for what purpose.

Plagiarism Checks: Authors must ensure that there is no plagiarism, including text and images produced by the AI. They should check their manuscript for plagiarism before submission to a journal and ensure all relevant citations are correctly written.  Editors are advised to check all manuscripts for plagiarism on submission and before final approval for publication.

Why Editors Maintain Strict Guidelines for Patient Safety:

Nursing literature informs healthcare. AI hallucinations and biases can lead to false clinical advice.

Algorithmic Bias: Generative AI models are trained on existing data, which may contain disparities that could be inadvertently perpetuated.

Academic Integrity: Editors are tasked with ensuring the work is genuinely human-generated and accurately sourced to protect the credibility of the nursing profession.

 

Information for Editors:

When developing an artificial intelligence (AI) policy for a nursing journal, you must establish guardrails that protect clinical safety while maintaining academic transparency.

Your policy should align closely with the major global standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

A comprehensive, ready-to-adapt policy framework consists of four main components.

1. 1. Author Guidelines & Permitted Use

The policy must explicitly outline what AI can and cannot do during manuscript preparation. Permitted (No disclosure required): Basic word processing utilities, including basic spell-checkers, standard grammar tools, and native reference management software.

Conditional (Disclosure required): Generative AI or Large Language Models (LLMs) used to refine text readability, improve language flow for non-native speakers, or brainstorm article outlines.

Prohibited: No Authorship: AI cannot be listed or cited as an author or co-author. It cannot take legal responsibility or manage copyright agreements.

No Content/Data Generation: AI must not be used to create, alter, or manipulate core scientific data, clinical case studies, or images.

No Unverified Citations: Authors are entirely accountable for verifying every citation.

AI-generated fabrications constitute scientific misconduct.

1. Mandatory Author Disclosure Clause: Your policy should require a formal statement upon submission. Authors must include this information in both their cover letter and a dedicated "Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing" section placed right before the references.

Template Policy Text for Authors: "During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [Tool / Service Name] in order to [Reason for Use: e.g., improve the clarity of the English language text]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content and integrity of the final published work."

1. Reviewer Restrictions & Confidentiality

Because nursing manuscripts represent privileged, confidential communications, your policy must protect intellectual property.

Strict Confidentiality: Reviewers are strictly prohibited from uploading any part of a submitted manuscript, data, or abstract into public or commercially available AI tools. Doing so breaches confidentiality rules.

No AI-Generated Reviews: Reviewers must not use generative AI to write peer review reports. This introduces risks of unverified critiques and automated biases.

1. Editorial Decision-Making: As an editor, you maintain final authority.

Human Accountability: AI tools may be used by the editorial office for internal sorting or preliminary layout checks, but they cannot make final decisions to accept, revise, or reject papers.

Vigilance Over AI Content: If you suspect undisclosed generative AI usage (e.g., matching common AI phrasing, format patterns, or discovering hallucinated citations), follow standard COPE protocols for suspected misconduct to query the authors before proceeding with peer review.

All journals are advised to develop a policy about  suspected AI misconduct