(Issued by University of Tehran Press, 2025; based on the Guideline on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Research issued by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, November 2025)

 

Part One: Authors’ Responsibilities

1-1. Principle of Transparency and Full Disclosure

Authors are required to clearly disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence tools in the various stages of the research, including ideation, design, data collection and analysis, manuscript writing, editing, or translation. This disclosure should be included in specific sections such as the “statement on the use of artificial intelligence” or “methodology”. Concealing or failing to mention the name of the tool and how it is used is considered an example of research misconduct and can lead to rejection or retraction of the manuscript.

1-2. Prohibition of Attributing Authorship to Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools lack the legal capacity and moral responsibility to assume accountability for scientific content; therefore, mentioning their names in the list of authors is absolutely prohibited. These tools can only be mentioned as assistive or research tools, and the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of all content, data, and results rest exclusively with the human authors.

1-3. Standard Documentation and Citation of AI Outputs

If specific content (text, ideas, images, or analysis) is directly generated by AI, the author must disclose it in accordance with standard citation practices. This disclosure should include the name of the tool, version, date of use, and, if possible, a link to the conversation or prompt.

1-4. Prohibition of Data Fabrication and Falsification

The use of artificial intelligence to produce fabricated raw data or alter real results is strictly prohibited. Although the use of synthetic data is permitted in certain fields with transparent methodology, it is a clear violation to forge sources or cite fabricated, non-existent articles generated by artificial intelligence.

 

Part Two: Reviewers’ Responsibilities and Guidelines

2-1. Prohibition on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Review Decisions

Reviewers must not delegate the core tasks of peer review—specifically, critical evaluation and final recommendations—to artificial intelligence. Scientific peer review demands intellectual depth, human intuition, and ethical accountability that automated tools cannot replicate.

2-2. Confidentiality Requirements and Prohibition on Uploading Manuscripts to AI Tools

Manuscripts assigned to review are strictly confidential. Uploading the full text, abstract, or data of an article to artificial intelligence platforms for summarization or editing is a clear violation of confidentiality, as these platforms may use the unpublished data to train their models, which would mean disclosing the author's information prior to publication.

2-3. Reviewer’s Sole Responsibility Regarding Limited AI Support

Limited use of artificial intelligence solely to enhance the linguistic quality of the reviewer’s report or to clarify some specialized concepts (without loading the article data) may be permitted, but the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of the report lies entirely with the reviewer. The reviewers may not attribute any errors in their report to artificial intelligence.

 

Part Three: Responsibilities and Guidelines for Editors and Editors-in-Chief

3-1. Transparency in the Evaluation and Editing Process

Editors and members of the editorial board must adhere to the principle of transparency when using artificial intelligence for initial manuscript screening, reviewer selection, or language editing. Any systematic use of AI tools in the article management process must be communicated to the authors.

3-2. Prohibition on Delegating Final Editorial Decisions to AI Tools

Decisions about rejection or acceptance of the manuscripts, determining journal policies, and making final decisions should not be left to artificial intelligence. AI tools can only have a supporting role (such as checking for plagiarism or format compliance) and are not a substitute for the judgment of a human editor.

3-3. Protecting the confidentiality of manuscripts information

Editors are responsible for maintaining the security of submitted manuscripts. Uploading unpublished article files or data to public AI tools for editing or analysis is a breach of confidentiality, and editors should use secure, publisher-approved tools.

3-4. Accountability and Responsibility

Editors are fully responsible for the ethical, legal, and scientific implications of using AI tools in the publishing process. They cannot shift responsibility to the company that created the AI ​​tool in the event of an error or information leak.

 

Part Four: Publishers’ and Journals’ responsibilities

4-1. Developing and communicating transparent policies

Scientific journals are required to develop and publish clear policies regarding the permitted use of artificial intelligence in their guidelines for authors. These policies should specify what types of use are permitted and what types are not.

4-2. Establishing supervisory mechanisms

Scientific journals should establish mechanisms to verify authors’ and reviewers’ adherence to AI guidelines. This includes requiring disclosure statements from authors and monitoring the quality of review reports to ensure they are not machine-generated.

4-3. Education and culture-building

Scientific journals should familiarize researchers with the ethical and technical aspects of using artificial intelligence and prevent inadvertent violations by holding workshops and developing supplementary guides.