Policy & Practice

AI in Peer Review

We use AI to remove busywork and highlight substance—while editors and reviewers keep full control. This page explains what AI does, what it never does, and how we protect privacy.

Reviewer & Author Attestation Contact the editorial office

What AI does (and what it doesn’t)

Quiet automation that saves time

  • Language clarity hints (never changes claims)
  • Reference validation (finds missing/broken DOIs)
  • Stats sanity checks (flags mismatches, missing effect sizes)
  • Figure screening (possible duplications/manipulation)
  • Policy reminders (data availability, ethics, trial IDs, reporting checklists)

Hard limits you can count on

  • Never makes editorial decisions
  • Never becomes an author
  • Never sends manuscripts to public AI services
  • Always leaves the final judgment to humans

Narration: Dr. Meera opens triage. 32/35 references already verified, a duplicated gel flagged, and a CONSORT reminder queued. She spends time on fit and novelty, not chasing DOIs.

How this shows up in your workflow

For authors

  • Pre‑flight checklist: run similarity, references, stats, figures
  • Clear bands: Green / Yellow / Red with specific tips
  • AI use disclosure: short textbox at submission

For reviewers

  • Prep pack: similarity band, reference completeness, stats summary
  • Structured form: methods, data/code availability, ethics, figures

For editors

  • Triage panel: one‑screen overview of all checks
  • One‑click actions: invite reviewers, request fixes

Using AI responsibly (simple, human rules)

Reviewers

Allowed: grammar polish, private summaries. Disclose if drafting text with an approved tool. Never paste manuscript content into public tools.

Authors

Allowed: clarity edits; ref formatting. Disclose generated images/code/text beyond copy‑editing. Never fabricate data, images, or citations.

Editors

Use AI for screening and reminders; never auto‑reject solely on a score. Every flag prompts human judgment.

Reviewer & Author Attestation

This attestation is stored with the manuscript’s audit trail. You can request an update during revision.

Privacy & security

  • Manuscripts and reviews are not sent to public AI APIs
  • We store signals (e.g., pass/fail, score bands), not full reports unless needed
  • All checks are logged with timestamps for audit

FAQ

Will AI reject my paper?
No. AI surfaces issues so editors and reviewers can focus their judgment.
Do I need to disclose Grammarly‑type tools?
If they rephrase beyond spelling/grammar or draft text, yes—disclose briefly.
Does this slow me down?
In practice it speeds decisions by reducing back‑and‑forth on missing basics.

Questions?

Email [email protected] or open a ticket in the submission system.