Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Journal of Maternal and Child Health is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. In recognition of the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies, the Journal permits their responsible and transparent use in manuscript preparation, subject to the principles and requirements outlined below.

 1. Scope of the Policy

This policy applies to all authors submitting manuscripts to Journal of Maternal and Child Health. Authors are responsible for ensuring that any use of AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript complies with this policy.

The use of AI does not transfer, reduce, or otherwise alter the authors' responsibility for the manuscript. All content submitted for publication, including any content generated, edited, translated, or otherwise assisted by AI, remains the sole responsibility of the authors.

 2. Permitted Use of AI

Authors may use AI-assisted tools to support limited aspects of manuscript preparation, including:
a.    Improving grammar, spelling, language, and readability
b.    Assisting with language translation
c.     Improving clarity and organization of written text
d.    Supporting technical or formatting tasks.

The use of AI must not replace the authors' intellectual contribution, scientific judgment, or responsibility for the research. Authors must retain full responsibility for the conception, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and conclusions of their work.

3. Prohibited Use of AI

AI must not be used to:
a.    Fabricate, generate, or manipulate research data or results;
b.   Create or alter research findings without appropriate scientific verification;
c.    Generate false, misleading, or unverifiable references or citations;
d.    Present AI-generated content as original scholarly work without appropriate disclosure and verification;
e.    Engage in plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of academic misconduct; or
f.      Compromise the confidentiality, privacy, or security of research participants, data, or unpublished manuscripts.

Authors are required to critically evaluate, verify, and take responsibility for all AI-assisted content incorporated into their manuscripts.

4. Disclosure and Transparency

Authors should transparently disclose the use of AI or AI-assisted technologies when such tools have been used substantively in the preparation of the manuscript.

The disclosure should identify the AI tool used and describe its purpose and extent of use. Routine use of AI-assisted tools solely for spelling, grammar, or language editing may not require disclosure unless otherwise required by the Journal or its publisher.

Regardless of whether AI use is disclosed, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical appropriateness of the entire manuscript and all content generated or assisted by AI.

5. AI Cannot Be Listed as an Author

AI tools, including large language models (LLMs), cannot be credited as authors or co-authors of a manuscript. Authorship requires substantial intellectual contribution, accountability for the work, approval of the final manuscript, and the ability to take responsibility for the content of the publication. AI systems cannot fulfill these requirements.

6. Authors' Responsibility and Accountability

The authors bear full and exclusive responsibility for the content of their submitted manuscript. This responsibility extends to all content that has been generated, modified, translated, summarized, or otherwise assisted by AI technologies.

Authors must ensure that:

a.    All information and statements are accurate and appropriately verified

b.    AI-assisted content does not contain fabricated, inaccurate, biased, or misleading information

c.    All sources and citations are genuine, relevant, and accurately represented

d.   The manuscript complies with applicable ethical and academic standards

e.   AI-generated content does not infringe upon copyright, intellectual property, privacy, or other rights; confidential or sensitive information is not improperly disclosed to AI systems

f.     The final manuscript accurately reflects the authors' scholarly work and judgment.

By submitting a manuscript to Journal of Maternal and Child Health, authors acknowledge and accept full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of the entire manuscript, including any content produced or assisted by AI.

7. Use of AI by Editors and Peer Reviewers

a. Editors and peer reviewers must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and unpublished research materials. They should not upload manuscripts, reviewer reports, research data, or other confidential information into publicly accessible AI tools or systems that may retain or reuse such information.

b.   Any use of AI in editorial or peer-review activities must comply with the principles of confidentiality, research integrity, data protection, and fairness.

c.   AI-assisted tools must not be used as a substitute for the independent professional judgment of editors or peer reviewers.

8. Ethical Compliance

The Journal reserves the right to request clarification regarding the use of AI when concerns arise about the originality, accuracy, transparency, or integrity of a submitted manuscript.

Undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI that constitutes or contributes to academic or publication misconduct may result in further investigation and appropriate action in accordance with the Journal's publication ethics policies.

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to Journal of Maternal and Child Health and may be updated periodically to reflect developments in AI technology, scholarly publishing practices, and applicable publication ethics guidelines.

 

Effective Date: August 27, 2026

Journal of Maternal and Child Health

Master’s Program in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret