Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated Tools Policy

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) recognizes the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and other automated tools in academic research and scholarly publishing.

The journal supports the responsible and transparent use of such technologies while maintaining academic integrity, research ethics, originality, authorship standards, confidentiality, and human editorial responsibility.

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in the publication process of AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ).

1. Use of AI and Automated Tools by Authors

Authors may use AI or automated tools as supportive technologies in the preparation of manuscripts, provided that their use does not compromise the originality, integrity, accuracy, or scholarly quality of the work.

Authors remain fully responsible for the entire content of their submitted manuscript, including text, data, analysis, interpretations, references, citations, figures, and conclusions.

Authors must carefully verify any information, references, quotations, translations, data, or other material produced or assisted by an AI or automated tool before including it in a manuscript.

AI-generated or AI-assisted content must not be used in a manner that results in plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulation of research findings, misrepresentation of sources, or violation of intellectual property rights.

2. Disclosure of Generative AI Use

Authors should disclose the use of generative AI or other automated tools when such tools have been used in preparing substantive content of a manuscript.

Disclosure is not normally required for routine use of basic tools for:

  • spelling correction;

  • grammar correction;

  • formatting;

  • reference formatting;

  • language editing; or

  • other minor editorial assistance.

However, if generative AI or an automated tool has been used to generate, substantially rewrite, translate, analyse, interpret, or otherwise materially contribute to the manuscript, the authors should clearly disclose this use.

The disclosure should identify:

  • the name of the AI or automated tool;

  • the purpose for which it was used; and

  • the extent or nature of its use.

Authors may provide this information in the manuscript or in an appropriate disclosure statement accompanying the submission.

3. Authors Remain Responsible

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility for a manuscript to the AI system or its developer.

Authors remain responsible for:

  • the accuracy of the manuscript;

  • the originality of the work;

  • the validity of research findings;

  • the accuracy of references and citations;

  • the interpretation of evidence;

  • compliance with ethical standards; and

  • any errors or misleading information contained in the manuscript.

Authors must independently verify the output of AI and automated tools before relying upon it in scholarly work.

4. AI Tools Cannot Be Listed as Authors

Artificial intelligence systems, chatbots, large language models, or other automated tools cannot be listed as authors, co-authors, editors, or reviewers of a manuscript published by AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ).

Authorship requires human responsibility for the scholarly work and accountability for its content.

If AI tools have been used in preparing a manuscript, responsibility for the resulting content remains with the human authors.

5. AI-Generated Content and Citations

Generative AI tools must not be treated as scholarly sources in place of original academic sources.

Authors should cite the original scholarly sources, primary sources, data, publications, or other appropriate references on which their work is based.

Generative AI tools should not be cited as a source for factual or scholarly claims.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references and citations included in their manuscripts are genuine, relevant, accurate, and verifiable.

6. Use of AI by Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and all information obtained through the peer-review process.

Reviewers should not upload or submit unpublished manuscripts, confidential manuscript content, reviewer reports, research data, tables, figures, or other confidential material to public or third-party generative AI tools.

Reviewers must not use generative AI to generate or substantially prepare their peer-review assessment.

A reviewer may use appropriate automated tools for limited language correction or formatting of their own review, provided that no confidential manuscript information is disclosed and the reviewer remains fully responsible for the review.

Peer reviewers must exercise independent scholarly judgment when evaluating manuscripts.

7. Use of AI by Editors

Editors of AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) are responsible for maintaining the integrity, confidentiality, and fairness of the editorial process.

Editors must not use generative AI to independently generate editorial decisions, peer-review assessments, or substantive evaluations of manuscripts.

Editors must not upload confidential manuscript content or unpublished research material to public or third-party AI systems unless an appropriate secure system has been specifically authorized by the journal and adequate confidentiality safeguards are in place.

Any use of automated tools by the editorial office must remain subject to human oversight and verification.

Final editorial decisions must always be made by appropriately authorized human editors.

8. AI-Assisted Research and Analysis

Where AI or automated tools are used as part of research methodology, data analysis, coding, translation, image processing, or other substantive research activities, authors should provide sufficient information about the use of such tools to allow readers and editors to understand their role in the research.

Authors remain responsible for validating the outputs of such tools and ensuring that their use is methodologically appropriate.

AI-generated data, fabricated references, invented quotations, or unsupported claims must not be presented as genuine research evidence.

9. AI-Generated Images, Figures, and Other Materials

Authors must ensure that the use of AI-generated or AI-assisted images, figures, illustrations, tables, or other materials complies with applicable copyright, licensing, ethical, and research-integrity requirements.

Where AI has materially contributed to the creation or modification of visual or other research material, authors should disclose its use where appropriate.

AI-generated or AI-assisted material must not be used to manipulate research findings, create misleading evidence, or misrepresent experimental or empirical results.

10. AI Detection and Research Integrity

AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) may use plagiarism-detection, similarity-checking, or other automated tools as part of its editorial quality-control procedures.

However, the result of an automated detection tool will not by itself constitute conclusive evidence of misconduct.

Where an automated tool identifies a potential concern, the matter may be reviewed by an editor or other appropriately qualified person.

Any final decision regarding plagiarism, research misconduct, undeclared AI use, or other integrity concerns will be based on human assessment, relevant evidence, and the journal's applicable policies.

11. Human Oversight

All automated tools used by AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) in its editorial or publishing processes must remain subject to appropriate human oversight.

Automated tools may assist with administrative or quality-control tasks, but they do not replace the scholarly judgment and responsibility of authors, reviewers, editors, or the publisher.

12. Transparency Regarding Journal Use of AI

If AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) introduces or routinely uses automated tools in its editorial or publishing workflow, the journal will provide appropriate information about their use and will ensure that such tools are evaluated for reliability and used with appropriate human oversight.

The journal will not allow automated systems to independently determine the acceptance, rejection, or publication of scholarly manuscripts.

13. Violations of This Policy

Failure to disclose substantive use of generative AI, submission of fabricated or inaccurate AI-generated information, misuse of confidential manuscript material, or other inappropriate use of AI may be considered a breach of the journal's publication ethics and research-integrity policies.

Where concerns arise, AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ) may investigate the matter in accordance with its publication ethics, plagiarism, research misconduct, correction, and retraction procedures, as applicable.

14. Policy Updates

This policy may be reviewed and updated periodically in response to developments in artificial intelligence, scholarly publishing standards, research ethics, and recommendations from recognized publishing organizations.

Any significant revision to this policy will be published on the website of AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ).

Principle of Responsibility

The use of artificial intelligence or automated tools does not diminish the responsibility of human authors, reviewers, editors, or publishers.

Human scholarly judgment, academic integrity, transparency, confidentiality, and responsibility remain fundamental to the publication process of AL-ĪMĀN Research Journal (IRJ).