Writing an AI Use Disclosure for Journal Submissions
Most journals now require you to disclose any AI tool usage during manuscript preparation, typically in a dedicated statement or acknowledgments section.
What to Include in Your Disclosure
Your disclosure should specify which AI tools you used and for what purpose. Be concrete: mention the tool name (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Grammarly), the version if known, and the specific tasks—such as language polishing, literature summarization, or code debugging. For example: "ChatGPT-4 was used to improve the clarity of the abstract and discussion sections."
Always clarify that you reviewed and take full responsibility for the final content. Journals want assurance that AI outputs were verified against source material and that you remain accountable for accuracy and originality.
Where to Place the Statement
Check your target journal's author guidelines first. Common locations include:
- A dedicated "AI Use" or "Generative AI" section before or after the acknowledgments
- Within the Methods section if AI assisted with data analysis or experimental design
- The acknowledgments paragraph for minor language editing
Some journals provide a specific template or checkbox during submission.
What Not to List
You generally don't need to disclose tools that don't generate content—like reference managers, plagiarism checkers, or search engines. Grammar checkers with basic autocorrect (e.g., Microsoft Word spellcheck) typically don't require disclosure either, though advanced AI writing assistants like Grammarly's generative features might.
Example Disclosure Statement
"The authors used [Tool Name] to [specific task, e.g., improve English language readability of the manuscript]. All AI-generated content was reviewed, edited, and verified by the authors, who take full responsibility for the content of this publication."
If you used AI for citation verification, tools like WisPaper's TrueCite automatically check formatting accuracy and trace every reference back to verified metadata, helping you avoid the risk of hallucinated sources that could jeopardize your submission.
