Publishing Policy

1. Affiliations

1) Author Affiliations

All authors must list their relevant affiliations to indicate where the research was approved, supported, or conducted.

• Authors must be formally affiliated with an accredited institution or a recognized organization.
• Affiliations are verified through institutional/organizational email addresses and website profiles (or other valid means).
• If an author moves to a different institution before publication, they should list the original affiliation where the work was conducted, along with a note stating their current affiliation.
• Authors without a current relevant institutional affiliation must state their status as "Independent."

2) Accuracy in Affiliations

• Specify the institution where the research was conducted, including details of any funding received from that institution.
• If an affiliation changes after the completion of the research, the new affiliation may be acknowledged in a note. (Please note that affiliations generally cannot be modified after a manuscript has been accepted for publication).
• AI tools, LLMs, and chatbots do not qualify as authors: Because all authors are wholly responsible for the originality, validity, and integrity of the content, AI tools do not meet the criteria for authorship.

2. Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI)

Generative AI tools, such as large language models (LLMs) or multimodal models, continue to evolve rapidly. The journal welcomes the opportunities presented by AI to enhance idea generation and exploration, assist non-native speakers in expressing content, and accelerate the research and dissemination process. Accordingly, the journal has established guidelines for authors, editors, and peer reviewers regarding the use of such tools, which may be updated as the technology evolves.

While Generative AI helps foster creativity, it presents several current risks and considerations:

• Inaccuracy and bias: Because AI operates on statistical patterns rather than direct facts, it can generate inaccuracies, falsehoods (so-called "hallucinations"), or biases that are difficult to detect, verify, and correct.
• Lack of attribution: Generative AI often fails to follow global scholarly standards for precisely and correctly attributing ideas, quotes, or citations.
• Confidentiality and Intellectual Property risks: Utilizing third-party platforms may lack adequate standards for data security, confidentiality, or copyright protection.
• Unintended uses: AI providers may reuse user inputs or outputs for further training, which could potentially infringe upon the rights of authors and publishers.

 

3. Authors

1) Guidelines for Authors on the Use of Generative AI

• Author Accountability: Authors are solely accountable for the originality, validity, and integrity of their content. When choosing to use Generative AI, authors must do so responsibly and in compliance with journal policies, including adhering to high standards of data security, confidentiality, and copyright protection.
• Permissible Scope of Use: Generative AI may be used for idea generation and exploration, language refinement, interactive search, literature classification, and coding assistance.
• Prohibition of AI Authorship: AI tools must not be listed as co-authors under any circumstances. AI cannot assume responsibility for submitted content or execute legal and copyright agreements—responsibilities that rest exclusively with human authors.
• Transparency and Disclosure Statement:
• Journal Articles: Authors must include a clear statement in the Methods or Acknowledgments section specifying the full name of the tool used (with version number), how it was used, and the rationale for its use.
• Books: Authors must disclose their intent to use AI tools to their editorial contact for approval at the earliest opportunity, and include a disclosure statement in the Preface or Introduction.
• Editorial Discretion: The editorial office reserves the right to make final publishing decisions to ensure academic integrity and policy compliance are maintained.

1) Guidelines for Authors on the Use of Generative AI

• Author Accountability: Authors are solely accountable for the originality, validity, and integrity of their content. When choosing to use Generative AI, authors must do so responsibly and in compliance with journal policies, including adhering to high standards of data security, confidentiality, and copyright protection.
• Permissible Scope of Use: Generative AI may be used for idea generation and exploration, language refinement, interactive search, literature classification, and coding assistance.
• Prohibition of AI Authorship: AI tools must not be listed as co-authors under any circumstances. AI cannot assume responsibility for submitted content or execute legal and copyright agreements—responsibilities that rest exclusively with human authors.
• Transparency and Disclosure Statement:
• Journal Articles: Authors must include a clear statement in the Methods or Acknowledgments section specifying the full name of the tool used (with version number), how it was used, and the rationale for its use.
• Books: Authors must disclose their intent to use AI tools to their editorial contact for approval at the earliest opportunity, and include a disclosure statement in the Preface or Introduction.
• Editorial Discretion: The editorial office reserves the right to make final publishing decisions to ensure academic integrity and policy compliance are maintained.

If authors intend to use an AI tool, they must ensure that it is appropriate and robust for their proposed purpose, and that its applicable terms offer adequate safeguards and protections—specifically regarding intellectual property rights, confidentiality, and data security.

Authors should not submit manuscripts where Generative AI tools have been used to replace core authorial and research responsibilities, including but not limited to:

• Generating text or code without rigorous human review and revision
• Generating synthetic data to substitute missing data without a robust methodology
• Producing any inaccurate content, including abstracts or supplementary materials

2) Peer Reviewers and Appeals

• Prohibition for Peer Reviewers: Peer reviewers are strictly prohibited from uploading files, images, or manuscript data into Generative AI tools to prevent risks regarding confidentiality, personally identifiable information, and intellectual property infringement.
• Permissible AI Scope for Reviewers: AI tools may only be utilized to assist with language refinement in review reports. Peer reviewers remain fully accountable for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of their evaluations.
• Appealing Reviewers' Decisions: Genuine appeals against peer reviewers' decisions are welcomed; however, authors must provide compelling evidence or new data to counter the reviewers' comments (Note: Reversals of initial decisions are rare).
• Editorial Office Decisions: Comprehensive pre-publication checks are conducted prior to acceptance. If a manuscript is rejected, authors are encouraged to address the identified issues and resubmit. However, if concerns cannot be resolved to the required standards, the journal reserves the right to reject the manuscript and close the file.

3) Changes to Authorship

• Conditions: Changes to authorship are permitted only in exceptional circumstances and must fully comply with the journal's authorship criteria.
• Procedure: Authors must first contact the Editorial Office to request an Authorship Change Request Form. All authors—including those being added, removed, or retained—must sign the form before submitting it to the Editorial Office for evaluation.
• Editorial Discretion: The Editorial Office reserves the right to decline any authorship change requests that do not conform to journal policies.
• Post-Publication Amendments: If an authorship change is approved following publication, it will be formally updated via a Post-publication Notice.
• Important Note: Authors must reach a consensus on the corresponding author, author order, affiliations, and contact details prior to initial manuscript submission.

4) Changes to Authorship

• Conditions: Changes to authorship are permitted only in exceptional circumstances and must fully comply with the journal's authorship criteria.
• Procedure: Authors must first contact the Editorial Office to request an Authorship Change Request Form. All authors—including those being added, removed, or retained—must sign the form before submitting it to the Editorial Office for evaluation.
• Editorial Discretion: The Editorial Office reserves the right to decline any authorship change requests that do not conform to journal policies.
• Post-Publication Amendments: If an authorship change is approved following publication, it will be formally updated via a Post-publication Notice.
• Important Note: Authors must reach a consensus on the corresponding author, author order, affiliations, and contact details prior to initial manuscript submission.