Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence

1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy for Verbum et Lingua

Verbum et Lingua recognizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) are becoming increasingly integrated into academic writing and research. This policy aims to promote the ethical, transparent, and responsible use of such tools, while safeguarding the integrity, originality, and confidentiality of the scholarly record.

 

2. Guidelines for Authors

A. AI Authorship is Strictly Prohibited

  • Under no circumstances can an AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini) be listed as an author or co-author of a manuscript.
  • Authorship implies legal and ethical responsibility for the published work, the ability to defend the methodology used, and the capacity to manage copyright agreements—criteria that an AI tool cannot fulfill.

B. Acceptable Uses of AI (Assistance)

Authors may use AI tools to assist in the preparation of their manuscript, provided that such use is strictly limited to the following purposes:

  • Language Editing:
    • Reviewing and improving grammar, syntax, and phrasing.
    • Translating texts to optimize the readability of the manuscript.
  • Formatting and Organization:
    • Structuring bibliographic references (e.g., APA guidelines, 7th edition).
    • Organizing the argumentative flow of previously written drafts.
  • Data Processing:
    • Assisting in data coding or processing, provided that the algorithms and prompts are transparent and verifiable.

C. Unacceptable Uses of AI (Generation)

Authors must not use AI tools to:

  • Fabricate or manipulate empirical data, results, or statistical analyses.
  • Generate core theoretical frameworks, hypotheses, or substantive original ideas for the study.
  • Create visual elements (graphs, diagrams, or images) without an explicit declaration and methodological justification.
  • Generate bibliographic references, due to the high risk of "AI hallucinations" or non-existent citations.

D. Transparency and Mandatory Disclosure

If an AI tool was used during the preparation of the manuscript, authors must explicitly declare it in the Declaration of Originality letter.

The disclosure must specify:

  • The name of the tool,
  • The specific version, and
  • The concrete sections or tasks for which it was utilized.

Example:

"ChatGPT-4 was used exclusively to review English grammar in the Abstract and Methodology sections."

E. Final Human Responsibility

Human authors assume 100% of the responsibility for the entire content of the manuscript. This includes:

  • The accuracy of the data,
  • The absence of plagiarism, and
  • The validity of all citations and references.

Any error, bias, or false citation introduced by an AI tool will be the sole responsibility of the human authors and may result in an immediate editorial rejection (desk reject) or the retraction of the article.

 

3. Guidelines for Peer Reviewers and Editors

Strict Confidentiality in Peer Review

The peer review process is strictly confidential. Reviewers and editors are categorically prohibited from uploading any part of an unpublished manuscript into public AI tools (such as ChatGPT) for the purpose of:

  • Generating summaries,
  • Evaluating the methodology, or
  • Drafting review reports.

Uploading an unpublished manuscript into a public language model violates the confidentiality agreement of the double-blind review system, infringes upon the author's copyright, and exposes original research to third-party databases.

The Human Component in Evaluation

While reviewers may employ specialized AI tools that are locally hosted or explicitly approved by the journal to check the grammar of their own reports, the critical evaluation of the manuscript—including the assessment of its scientific rigor, its theoretical contribution, and its relevance to the scope of Verbum et Lingua—must be exclusively the product of human intellect, judgment, and expertise.