AI Usage Policy for Authors

1. Authorship and Accountability In accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (such as ChatGPT or other Large Language Models) cannot be listed as an author on a submitted manuscript. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans. The human authors are solely responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of the entire work, including any parts generated or assisted by AI.

2. Disclosure Requirement Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process or during data analysis. If such tools were used, a statement must be included in the "Acknowledgments" section or a dedicated "Declaration of AI Use" section before the References.

• Example Statement: "The authors used [Tool Name] during the preparation of this manuscript in order to [Reason, e.g., improve language and readability]. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication."

3. Scope of the Policy

This policy distinguishes between AI used as a scientific research methodology and AI used as a content generation tool.

• Scientific Methodology (Excluded from Disclosure): This policy does not apply to the use of AI, Machine Learning (ML), or Neural Networks as part of the formal research design, data analysis, or property prediction (e.g., QSAR modeling, protein folding, molecular dynamics, AI-driven chemical synthesis etc.). Such methods should be described in detail within the Experimental or Materials and Methods section, as with any other scientific protocol.

• Content Generation (Requires Disclosure): This policy specifically refers to Generative AI and LLM tools used to create, augment, or alter the final manuscript's presentation, including text, summary, or literature reviews.

• Standard Processing Tools: Use of basic software for spell-checking, grammar correction, or standard data visualization (e.g., Origin, Matplotlib) does not require a formal AI disclosure statement.

4. Visual Content The use of AI-generated images, figures, or chemical structures is generally discouraged unless it is a fundamental part of the research design (e.g., a paper about AI-driven drug discovery). Any AI-generated visual content must be explicitly labeled as such in the figure caption.