AI Policy

General Provisions

The policy on the use of artificial intelligence and AI-supported technologies defines the rules and standards governing the application of artificial intelligence tools (hereinafter – AI) by authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial board of the academic journal of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy, in the course of preparing, submitting, reviewing, and editing publications.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure transparency, responsible scholarly practice, and compliance with international publication ethics standards in accordance with the recommendations of COPE, WAME, and the JAMA Network.

 

Definitions

AI tools are understood to mean any automated or semi-automated systems, including generative language models, automated text analysis tools, image processing algorithms, programming or data analysis instruments, speech editing services, and similar technologies.

 

Core Principles

Human responsibility. AI cannot be the author of scholarly material. Only human beings are capable of bearing ethical, legal, and scholarly responsibility for the content of an article.

Transparency. Any use of AI must be clearly disclosed in accordance with the requirements of this Policy.

Accuracy. Authors bear full responsibility for the correctness, validity, and precision of all results, data, and interpretations, including those generated or modified by AI tools.

Ethical conduct and compliance with standards. The use of AI must not result in violations of research integrity, including data fabrication, plagiarism, fabricated citations, or misleading visualisations.

 

Requirements for Authors

1. Prohibition on listing AI as an author

AI tools may not be included in the list of authors, as they do not meet the criteria for authorship.

2. Mandatory disclosure of AI use

Upon submission of a publication, authors must disclose:

  • whether AI was used (yes/no);
  • the name of the tools used (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, etc.), the version (where available), and the date of use;
  • the purpose and scope of AI application (linguistic editing, text generation, data analysis, image creation, etc.);
  • the sections of the material to which AI was applied.

Where AI was used in conducting research or analysing data, this must be described in the "Methods and Data" section. Other applications (e.g. text editing) may be noted in the "Acknowledgements" section.

3. Responsibility for content

Authors guarantee:

  • verification of all texts, images, and data created or modified by AI;
  • the absence of plagiarism, fabrication, invented references, and manipulation;
  • the compliance of all results with scholarly and ethical standards.

The editorial office may request additional materials (source data, prompts, code) to verify correctness.

 

Use of AI in the Creation of Images, Figures, and Illustrations

Where images, diagrams, maps, or graphs have been created or modified using AI, the caption must indicate the tool used and the nature of its application.

Authors must ensure accuracy and avoid misleading readers, including refraining from the use of AI-generated visualisations that create a false impression of actual data.

Where AI has been used to produce visual materials, authors must ensure that appropriate rights for their use are in place.

 

Use of AI by Reviewers

1. Confidentiality

Reviewers may not upload manuscripts or excerpts thereof to third-party AI services, as such services do not guarantee confidentiality.

2. Disclosure of AI use by the reviewer

If a reviewer has employed AI tools to assist in forming conclusions or in technical editing, they are obliged to notify the editorial office.

 

Use of AI by the Editorial Office

1. The editorial office may employ AI for the technical processing of manuscripts (plagiarism checking, identification of structural issues, linguistic proofreading); however, all editorial decisions are made by human beings.

2. Automated conclusions may not serve as the sole basis for ethical decisions concerning a manuscript; in such cases, the editorial office conducts additional expert review.

 

Use of AI Detection Tools

The editorial office may use specialised tools to detect texts and images generated by AI. At the same time, automated indicators are not regarded as sufficient evidence of a violation. In cases of doubt, the editorial office may approach the author for clarification and additional information.

 

Policy Violations

Violations include:

  • undisclosed use of AI;
  • underreporting or falsification of information regarding AI use;
  • use of AI resulting in fabricated data, references, or visualisations;
  • breach of manuscript confidentiality by reviewers.

Depending on the nature of the violation, the editorial office may apply the following measures: a request for clarification, a requirement to make corrections, refusal of publication, notification of the author's institution, or retraction of a published article in accordance with the retraction procedure.

 

Recommended Formulations for Authors

In the cover letter:

"The author(s) disclose that in preparing this publication, the AI tool(s) [name, version] were used for [task]. All results created or modified by AI have been thoroughly verified and comply with the requirements of research integrity."

In the article (in the "Acknowledgements" or "Methods and Data" section):

"In preparing this manuscript, the AI tool [name, version] was used for [task]. The authors confirm that all data and conclusions are accurate and have been verified."

 

Policy Review

In light of the rapid development of AI, this Policy will be reviewed at least once a year, or following the publication of new recommendations from COPE or other leading organisations in the field of scholarly publishing.