To uphold scientific integrity and enhance transparency in the publication process, the Journal of Rural and Research Planning (JRRP) has established the following policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. These guidelines have been developed in accordance with international standards and ethical publishing requirements. Adherence to these guidelines is mandatory for all authors, reviewers, and editors.
1. Author Responsibility for Article Content
Authors bear full responsibility for the originality, accuracy, and scientific validity of their work and must ensure that the manuscript complies with all ethical standards of the journal. This responsibility extends to any content generated with the assistance of AI tools. Prior to submission, authors are required to review and verify all outputs from such tools for accuracy, scientific documentation, and absence of bias. The use of AI in no way reduces the author’s ultimate responsibility for the content of the manuscript.
2. Permissible Use of AI Tools
The use of AI tools is permitted solely for improving writing quality, language editing, content organization, or preliminary literature reviews. However, AI tools cannot be designated as authors or co-authors of a manuscript, as fulfilling authorship conditions—such as accepting legal responsibility, managing conflicts of interest, or signing copyright agreements—is only possible for human beings.
Before using any AI tool, authors must review its terms and conditions concerning data privacy and the intellectual property of their scientific content. The use of tools that may gain unauthorized access to manuscript content or utilize such content to train their models is prohibited.
3. Disclosure Requirement for AI Use
If authors have used AI tools, such as large language models or chatbots, to generate or edit any part of the manuscript, they are obligated to disclose this transparently. A statement regarding the use of AI must be included in a separate section titled “AI Use Statement” at the end of the manuscript, before the reference list. This statement must precisely include the following:
a. Name of the tool or software used
b. Manufacturer or organization and version of the tool
c. Section(s) of the manuscript prepared with AI assistance
d. Method by which the author reviewed and edited the AI-generated content
Note: The use of tools solely for spell-checking, grammar checking, or standard text editing software does not require disclosure.
4. Special Provisions for the Generation of Images and Graphical Elements
The use of generative AI technologies to create, reconstruct, or manipulate images, graphs, figures, or other visual elements of the manuscript is not permitted. Any alteration of images using AI—such as enhancing quality, removing, or adding visual elements—is prohibited. Standard basic adjustments, such as changing brightness or contrast, are acceptable provided they do not distort scientific information.
The sole exception to this rule is when the use of AI to generate or analyze images constitutes an integral part of the research methodology. In such cases, authors must provide full details of this process in the “Research Method” section and, upon request by the journal, submit the original, pre-processed version of the images.
5. Provisions for Reviewers
Reviewers of the journal are obligated to maintain complete confidentiality regarding the manuscripts they receive. Uploading the full text or any portions of a manuscript into AI tools for any purpose—including summarization, analysis, or writing improvement—constitutes a breach of confidentiality and is strictly prohibited. The preparation of review reports using AI is also not permitted, as peer review requires specialized judgment, critical analysis, and originality assessment that can only be performed by humans. The reviewer bears full responsibility for the content of their report and must prepare it directly, without the intermediary of AI tools.
6. Provisions for Editors
Editors and editorial board members are also required to maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and related correspondence. The use of AI tools to analyze, evaluate, or make decisions on manuscripts is not permitted. All stages of the review process and final decision-making must be conducted through independent human judgment, based on reviewer reports and journal policies. Should an editor become aware of any violation of these AI policies by authors or reviewers, the matter must be pursued through the established channels.
The Journal of Rural and Research Planning (JRRP) is committed to updating these policies in line with international developments and evolving ethical publishing standards.