Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy

Qubahan Engineering Journal (QENGJ) recognizes that generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies may support certain research and manuscript-preparation activities.

Their use must remain transparent, responsible, verifiable, ethical, and subject to meaningful human oversight.

AI Cannot Be an Author

Generative AI systems, large language models, chatbots, and other automated tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Authorship requires human responsibility and accountability for:

  • Accuracy;

  • Originality;

  • Research integrity;

  • Ethical compliance;

  • Intellectual contribution; and

  • The final published content.

AI systems cannot fulfill these responsibilities.

Author Responsibility

Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted material, including content produced or modified with the assistance of AI.

Authors must independently verify:

  • Factual statements;

  • Numerical information;

  • References;

  • Citations;

  • Equations;

  • Technical claims;

  • Data interpretation;

  • Statistical results; and

  • Conclusions.

The presence of AI assistance does not reduce author responsibility.

Disclosure of AI Use

Material use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript must be disclosed transparently.

The disclosure should identify:

  • The AI tool or system used;

  • The purpose for which it was used;

  • The stage of manuscript preparation in which it was used; and

  • The nature of human verification and oversight.

A suitable disclosure may be included in a dedicated statement before the References or in another location required by the journal.

Uses That Normally Require Disclosure

Disclosure is expected when generative AI is materially used for activities such as:

  • Generating substantial text;

  • Rewriting scientific arguments;

  • Producing summaries;

  • Creating analytical interpretations;

  • Generating code used in the research;

  • Generating synthetic data;

  • Producing figures or images;

  • Conducting substantial translation;

  • Assisting with data analysis; or

  • Generating research-related content beyond routine language correction.

Routine Language Tools

Ordinary spelling correction, grammar correction, formatting tools, reference-management software, and conventional word-processing functions that do not materially generate scholarly content generally do not require an AI disclosure.

AI-Generated References

Authors must not rely on unverified references produced by AI systems.

Every reference must be checked against the original source.

Fabricated, nonexistent, incorrectly attributed, or unverifiable references are unacceptable.

AI-Generated Data

Generative AI must not be used to fabricate research data or present artificial information as genuine observations.

Where synthetic data are legitimately used as part of the research methodology, the manuscript must clearly disclose:

  • How the data were generated;

  • Which system or model was used;

  • Relevant parameters;

  • Validation procedures; and

  • The purpose of the synthetic data.

AI-Generated Images

AI-generated or AI-modified images must not be used to misrepresent scientific evidence.

Where AI-generated images form a legitimate part of the research methodology, their creation and use must be transparently described.

Manipulation that changes scientific interpretation is prohibited.

AI as a Research Method

Where artificial intelligence forms part of the research methodology, authors should provide sufficient information to permit scholarly assessment and reproducibility.

Where relevant, authors should report:

  • Model name;

  • Model version;

  • Software;

  • Training data or dataset;

  • Input data;

  • Parameters;

  • Hyperparameters;

  • Prompting methodology where scientifically relevant;

  • Validation procedures;

  • Evaluation metrics; and

  • Limitations.

Prohibited Uses

Generative AI must not be used to:

  • Fabricate data;

  • Fabricate references;

  • Falsify research findings;

  • Conceal plagiarism;

  • Misrepresent authorship;

  • Produce fraudulent peer-review reports;

  • Circumvent ethical approval requirements;

  • Misrepresent images;

  • Create fake participants or experiments; or

  • Replace genuine scholarly accountability.

Confidentiality for Reviewers

Submitted manuscripts are confidential.

Reviewers must not upload:

  • Manuscripts;

  • Unpublished figures;

  • Tables;

  • Data;

  • Supplementary files;

  • Reviewer correspondence; or

  • Other confidential submission information

to publicly accessible generative-AI platforms where confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

AI Use by Reviewers

AI tools must not replace the reviewer's independent scholarly judgment.

Reviewers remain fully responsible for:

  • Accuracy;

  • Fairness;

  • Confidentiality;

  • Recommendations; and

  • The content of their review reports.

AI Use by Editors

Editors must protect manuscript confidentiality and must not upload confidential submissions to publicly accessible AI systems.

AI must not independently determine:

  • Whether a manuscript is accepted;

  • Whether a manuscript is rejected;

  • Reviewer selection;

  • Ethical findings; or

  • Final editorial decisions.

Editorial decisions remain the responsibility of qualified human editors.

Misuse of AI

Undisclosed or inappropriate use of generative AI may result in editorial action where it affects:

  • Research integrity;

  • Authorship;

  • Data validity;

  • Reference accuracy;

  • Confidentiality;

  • Ethical compliance; or

  • Reliability of the scholarly record.

Possible actions may include:

  • Request for clarification;

  • Correction;

  • Rejection;

  • Expression of Concern; or

  • Retraction, depending on the circumstances.