Artificial Intelligence Policy

1. Policy Statement
The Journal of Usuluddin (JUD) is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, ethical behavior, and scholarly accountability. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI technologies are increasingly used in research and academic writing, this policy outlines guidelines for their ethical and appropriate use by authors, editors, and peer reviewers.

This policy aims to ensure transparency, accountability, and the retention of human scholarly judgment, while adhering to global publishing ethics and the values inherent in Islamic scholarship.

2. Acceptable Use of AI
Authors are permitted to use AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, DeepSeek, or similar technologies) exclusively as supplementary tools for the following purposes:

+ Correcting grammar, spelling, and language

+ Enhancing clarity, readability, and academic style

+ Translating languages

+ Providing basic assistance with data analysis or visualization

AI tools must not substitute scholarly reasoning, critical analysis, or original intellectual contributions. Their use should always remain secondary to human authorship and scholarly supervision.

3. Disclosure Requirements
Any use of AI tools at any stage of the research, writing, or revision process must be clearly disclosed within the manuscript.

The disclosure should be included in the Methods or Acknowledgements section and must specify:

+ The full name of the AI tool used (and version, if applicable)

+ The nature and extent of its use

+ A confirmation that all AI-assisted content has been reviewed, verified, and approved by the authors

Example disclosure statement:
“An AI tool (ChatGPT, OpenAI) was used to assist in language refinement and structural clarity. All content was critically reviewed and approved by the authors, who retain full responsibility for the manuscript.”

This transparency allows the editorial board to assess the responsible and ethical use of AI tools. JUD maintains full editorial discretion over publication decisions.

4. Prohibited Practices
The following practices are strictly forbidden:

+ Listing AI or AI tools as authors or co-authors

+ Using AI to generate, fabricate, falsify, or manipulate data, results, citations, or references

+ Submitting AI-generated text without comprehensive human review and verification

+ Uploading unpublished manuscripts or confidential materials into AI systems

+ Using AI tools to influence, manipulate, or interfere with the peer review process

Any violation of these rules may result in rejection, retraction, or other editorial actions.

5. Responsibility and Authorship
Authors are fully responsible for the intellectual content of their submissions, including any sections that AI tools may have assisted with.

AI cannot fulfill authorship requirements and must not be credited as an author. Responsibility for accuracy, originality, ethical adherence, and scholarly validity lies entirely with the human authors.

6. Use of AI by Editors
Editors are responsible for ensuring the quality, integrity, and confidentiality of the editorial and peer review process.

Accordingly:

+ Editors must not upload unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, supplementary files, images, or confidential data into AI tools

+ AI may be used only for specific support tasks (e.g., language checking), but not for editorial decision-making or judgment

+ Editors should consult the Editor-in-Chief before using any AI tools unless prior approval for specific tools and their use has already been granted

All editorial decisions must be based on informed human judgment.

7. Use of AI by Peer Reviewers
Peer reviewers, as subject-matter experts, must conduct their reviews independently and responsibly.

Reviewers are prohibited from:

+ Using AI tools to analyze, interpret, summarize, or evaluate submitted manuscripts

+ Uploading unpublished manuscripts, proposals, or related materials into AI systems

AI tools may be used only to assist with language refinement in review reports. Reviewers remain fully accountable for the content, accuracy, and ethical integrity of their evaluations.

8. Ethical Compliance
This policy aligns with globally recognized research ethics and academic publishing standards, including:

+ The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines

+ Elsevier’s AI and Publishing Ethics Recommendations

JUD further asserts that the use of ethical AI must be consistent with the principles of Islamic studies, scholarly trust (amanah ilmiyyah), and intellectual honesty.

9. Review and Updates
This policy will be reviewed periodically to reflect technological advancements, best practices, and emerging ethical concerns in academic publishing.