Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-Assisted Technologies

The Indonesian Journal of Earth Sciences (Idn. J. Earth Sci.), published by MO.RI Publishing, recognises that generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted tools (for example large language models, chatbots, and AI image or data generators) are changing how research is written and evaluated. This policy sets out the responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, editors, and the publisher. It complements our Publication Ethics, Peer Review Process, and Plagiarism Screening statements and follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. General Principles

  • Responsibility, accountability, and the integrity of the scholarly record always rest with people. AI tools cannot take responsibility for a work and therefore cannot be credited as an author, co-author, reviewer, or editor.
  • Any use of generative AI must be transparent, limited to the purposes permitted below, and verified by a human.
  • The use of AI does not remove the responsibility of authors and editors for the originality, confidentiality, and integrity of the article, or for the editorial decisions that they take.
  • Confidential material (unpublished manuscripts, review reports, correspondence, and the personal data of authors and reviewers) must not be entered into AI tools that retain, reuse, or train on user input.

2. Policy for Authors

  • Authorship. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the content, originality, accuracy, and references of the submitted work, including any text or material produced with AI assistance.
  • Permitted use. Authors may use AI tools to improve language, grammar, and readability, or for clearly described methodological purposes within the research itself (for example machine-learning or AI-based modelling that is part of the study design). The output must be reviewed and edited by the authors.
  • Not permitted. AI tools must not be used to generate or fabricate research data, results, field observations, citations, or references, to alter or manipulate images or figures, or to replace the scientific analysis and interpretation that the authors are responsible for. AI-generated or AI-altered images and figures are not accepted unless they are a documented part of the research method.
  • Disclosure. Use of generative AI in preparing the manuscript must be declared in a separate statement placed before the References, under the heading "Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies". The statement must give the name and version of the tool, the purpose of use, and the sections affected. Suggested wording: "During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [tool name, version] in order to [purpose]. After using this tool, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication." If no AI tool was used, authors should state: "The author(s) did not use generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the preparation of this work." Basic spelling and grammar checkers and reference managers do not need to be declared.
  • Verification. Authors must check that all statements, calculations, and references produced or suggested with AI assistance are correct and that the work does not contain plagiarised text.

3. Policy for Peer Reviewers

  • Manuscripts sent for review are confidential. Reviewers must not upload a manuscript, any part of it, or their review report to a generative AI tool, because this may breach the authors' confidentiality and proprietary rights.
  • Reviewers must not use generative AI to analyse the manuscript or to write, draft, or summarise their assessment. Peer review requires critical judgement and domain expertise that AI cannot replace, and reviewers remain responsible for the content of their reports.
  • Reviewers who believe that a manuscript has been prepared with undeclared AI assistance, or that it contains fabricated content or references, should report this to the editor.

4. Policy for Editors

  • Editors must not upload submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, decision letters, or the personal information of authors and reviewers to generative AI tools.
  • Editorial decisions (desk rejection, reviewer selection, acceptance, and rejection) are made by people. They must not be delegated to, or based solely on the output of, an AI tool.
  • Disclosure by editors. Editors (the Editor-in-Chief, associate editors, and editorial office staff) must disclose to the Editor-in-Chief any use of AI tools in their editorial work, such as drafting correspondence or screening submissions, stating the tool and the purpose. Such use is recorded in the editorial file of the manuscript concerned.
  • Editors who submit their own work to the journal must declare AI use in the same way as other authors, and they are excluded from the handling of that manuscript.

5. Use of AI by the Journal and Publisher

  • The editorial office may use software, including AI-based tools, for similarity checking, language and format checking, and detection of possible image or text manipulation. These tools support, and never replace, human screening, and any suspected problem is verified by an editor before action is taken.
  • Such tools are used only in ways that protect the confidentiality of submissions and comply with applicable data protection requirements.

6. Compliance and Misconduct

Failure to declare AI use, fabricated data or references produced by AI, or breach of confidentiality through AI tools is treated as a breach of publication ethics. The editors will investigate following COPE guidelines. Depending on the findings, outcomes include requesting a correction or disclosure, rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction or expression of concern, retraction of a published article, and notification of the authors' institution. Concerns about AI use in a submitted or published article can be sent to the editorial office through the Contact page.

7. Review of This Policy

Because AI technologies and publishing standards change quickly, the editorial board reviews this policy at least once a year and updates it when needed. Effective date: 10 October 2026.