Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors must disclose any use of chatbots and, if applicable, provide detailed information on how they were used.

For instance, authors who have used a chatbot to assist in writing an article must properly acknowledge this and specify which chatbot was used (including its name, version, model, and origin), as well as how it was employed. This is in accordance with the ICMJE recommendation to acknowledge assistance in writing.

Human authors of articles written with the help of a chatbot remain fully responsible for all contributions made by the chatbot, including their accuracy. This entails the following:

• They must be able to affirm that there is no plagiarism in the article, including in the text generated by the chatbot.

• They must ensure proper attribution of all cited material, including full references.

• They must declare the specific prompts or queries used in their interaction with the chatbot.

• They must seek out and cite sources that support the claims made by the chatbot.

• Since chatbots may be designed to omit sources that contradict their generated output, authors are responsible for identifying, reviewing, and including such opposing viewpoints in their articles.

In the case of editors and reviewers, they must disclose to both authors and one another any use of chatbots in the evaluation of the manuscript, including in the drafting of peer reviews and correspondence.

If chatbots are used in communication with authors or among editorial staff, the manner of use must be clearly specified.

If the use of artificial intelligence is not disclosed, full responsibility lies with each individual author.