Generative AI Policies

Qaulan: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Penyiaran Islam recognizes the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic research, writing, editing, translation, and scholarly communication. The use of AI tools is permitted when conducted responsibly, transparently, and in accordance with principles of academic integrity, originality, research ethics, and author accountability.

1. AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITY

Authors remain fully responsible for the content of their submitted and published manuscripts, regardless of whether AI tools were used during the research or writing process.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts:

  • Are accurate and factually reliable.
  • Represent original scholarly work.
  • Contain appropriate and verifiable citations.
  • Do not contain fabricated information or references.
  • Do not violate copyright or intellectual property rights.
  • Comply with research and publication ethics.
  • Meet the journal's academic and methodological standards.

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility for a manuscript from the authors to the AI system.

2. PERMITTED USE OF GENERATIVE AI

Authors may use generative AI tools for legitimate supporting purposes, such as:

  • Language improvement and grammar checking.
  • Spelling and punctuation correction.
  • Translation assistance.
  • Improving clarity and readability.
  • Brainstorming research ideas.
  • Organizing preliminary notes.
  • Assisting with non-substantive formatting or editing.

Authors must independently verify all AI-assisted output before including it in a manuscript.

3. PROHIBITED USE OF GENERATIVE AI

Generative AI must not be used to:

  • Fabricate research data.
  • Falsify research findings.
  • Invent research participants.
  • Generate fictitious references or citations.
  • Manipulate research results.
  • Create false evidence.
  • Misrepresent AI-generated material as verified research findings.
  • Produce plagiarism or unattributed copied content.
  • Conceal substantial AI-generated contributions.
  • Replace the author's scholarly judgment and responsibility.

Authors remain responsible for detecting and correcting inaccurate, biased, incomplete, or misleading AI-generated content.

4. DISCLOSURE OF AI USE

Authors should disclose the use of generative AI when it has made a substantive contribution to the manuscript, research process, analysis, or presentation.

The disclosure should identify:

  • The AI tool used.
  • The purpose of its use.
  • The relevant stage of the research or manuscript preparation.
  • The extent of the AI-assisted contribution.

Routine spelling, grammar, or formatting assistance may not require detailed disclosure unless otherwise requested by the journal.

5. AI CANNOT BE AN AUTHOR

Generative AI tools, including ChatGPT and similar systems, cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Authorship requires human responsibility for the research, intellectual contribution, manuscript content, and accountability for the published work.

AI tools may be acknowledged as tools used during research or manuscript preparation when appropriate.

6. AI-GENERATED REFERENCES AND CITATIONS

Authors must independently verify every reference generated or suggested by an AI system.

AI systems may produce:

  • Non-existent publications.
  • Incorrect author names.
  • Incorrect journal information.
  • Incorrect DOI numbers.
  • Misrepresented research findings.

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring that all references are genuine, relevant, accessible, and accurately cited.

7. GENERATIVE AI AND PEER REVIEW

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts submitted to Qaulan.

Reviewers should not upload unpublished manuscripts, confidential reviewer reports, or substantial portions of submitted manuscripts to public or third-party generative AI systems when doing so could compromise manuscript confidentiality, author privacy, intellectual property, or the integrity of the peer-review process.

AI tools must not replace the reviewer's independent academic judgment.

Reviewer recommendations and reports remain the responsibility of the reviewer.

8. GENERATIVE AI AND EDITORIAL WORK

Editors may use appropriate AI-assisted tools for limited administrative or language-related purposes where confidentiality and data protection can be maintained.

AI must not independently determine:

  • Manuscript acceptance or rejection.
  • Reviewer selection without appropriate editorial oversight.
  • Ethical misconduct findings.
  • Retraction decisions.
  • Final editorial decisions.

Final editorial decisions remain the responsibility of qualified human editors.

9. AI AND RESEARCH DATA

Authors must not submit confidential, personally identifiable, sensitive, or restricted research data to generative AI systems unless appropriate authorization, privacy protection, and ethical safeguards are in place.

Researchers must comply with applicable:

  • Research ethics requirements.
  • Privacy regulations.
  • Institutional policies.
  • Participant consent requirements.
  • Data protection standards.

10. AI-GENERATED IMAGES AND OTHER CONTENT

AI-generated images, illustrations, diagrams, audio, video, or other media may only be used when:

  • Their use is ethically and legally permissible.
  • They do not misrepresent research evidence.
  • They do not violate copyright or intellectual property rights.
  • Their use is appropriately disclosed when relevant.
  • They are not presented as authentic research data when they are synthetic.

AI-generated images must not be used to fabricate or manipulate research evidence.

11. COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Authors are responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted content does not infringe the copyright, privacy, or intellectual property rights of others.

The use of generative AI does not exempt authors from complying with the journal's:

  • Copyright and Licensing Policy
  • Plagiarism Policy
  • Publication Ethics and Misconduct Policy
  • Research Ethics requirements

12. AI AND PLAGIARISM

AI-assisted writing must comply with the journal's Plagiarism Policy.

Authors should not use AI tools to disguise copied material, paraphrase another person's work without citation, or create text that falsely appears to be original scholarship.

AI-generated text does not automatically constitute original research.

13. EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT

The Editorial Team may request clarification regarding the use of generative AI when there are reasonable concerns about:

  • Manuscript originality.
  • Research integrity.
  • Fabricated references.
  • Inaccurate information.
  • Unexplained methodological content.
  • Copyright infringement.
  • Undisclosed AI-generated material.

Where necessary, authors may be asked to provide additional information about how AI tools were used.

14. MISUSE OF GENERATIVE AI

Failure to comply with this policy may be treated as a publication-ethics concern.

Depending on the seriousness of the case, the journal may:

  • Request clarification.
  • Require revision.
  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Suspend the editorial process.
  • Withdraw the manuscript.
  • Publish a correction.
  • Issue an Expression of Concern.
  • Retract a published article.
  • Refer serious cases to the relevant institution.

15. TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The fundamental principle of this policy is:

Generative AI may assist scholarly work, but it cannot replace human responsibility, academic judgment, originality, and research integrity.

Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to use AI responsibly and transparently while protecting the confidentiality and integrity of the scholarly publishing process.