1. Purpose and Scope

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in the preparation, submission, evaluation, editing, and publication of content in JTST.

The policy covers generative artificial intelligence, large language models, chatbots, AI-based image generators, coding assistants, automated analytical systems, and other AI-assisted tools capable of generating or substantially modifying text, data, code, images, audio, video, tables, figures, or scholarly analysis.

Manuscripts that study, develop, evaluate, or apply generative AI are welcome when they fall within the journal's focus and scope and comply with all applicable research, reporting, data protection, and publication ethics requirements.

2. Core Principles

• AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors;
• Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and legality of the manuscript;
• Substantive use of generative AI must be disclosed transparently;
• AI-generated output must be reviewed, verified, and corrected by qualified human authors;
• AI must not be used to fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or misrepresent research;
• Confidential manuscripts, personal information, and restricted research data must be protected;
• Copyright, attribution, licensing, privacy, and data protection obligations remain applicable; and
• AI tools must not replace human scientific judgment, authorship responsibility, peer review, or editorial accountability.

3. AI Tools Cannot Be Authors

All individuals listed as authors must meet JTST's authorship criteria and remain personally accountable for the submitted and published work.

4. Permitted Uses by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies responsibly for purposes such as:

• Improving grammar, spelling, readability, or language clarity;
• Assisting with translation under human supervision;
• Supporting literature discovery, provided all sources are independently verified;
• Generating or improving computer code that is subsequently inspected, tested, and validated;
• Supporting data analysis when the method is transparent and scientifically validated;
• Creating non-evidentiary diagrams or visual materials when clearly disclosed;
• Assisting with manuscript organization or summarization; and
• Supporting other research activities that remain under meaningful human control and supervision.

The use of AI does not reduce the responsibility of authors to understand, verify, explain, reproduce, and defend every part of their research and manuscript.

5. Prohibited Uses

Authors must not use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies to:

• Fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or selectively alter research data;
• Create false participants, observations, interviews, experimental results, or statistical findings;
• Generate fictitious, inaccurate, or unverifiable references;
• Create or alter scientific images in ways that misrepresent research evidence;
• Present AI-generated interpretations or conclusions without human verification;
• Produce a manuscript without meaningful intellectual involvement from the listed authors;
• Conceal plagiarism, duplicate publication, or inappropriate text reuse;
• Upload personal, confidential, proprietary, restricted, or sensitive data to an AI system without appropriate authorization and protection;
• Impersonate authors, reviewers, editors, research participants, or other individuals; or
• Circumvent research ethics, peer review, authorship, copyright, or data protection requirements.

6. Disclosure Requirements for Authors

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI or other AI-assisted technologies when the tool has generated, analyzed, interpreted, translated, summarized, or substantially modified scholarly content.

The disclosure should include:

• The name of the AI tool;
• The developer or provider, where known;
• The model or version, where available;
• The date or period of use;
• The purpose and extent of the use;
• The part of the manuscript or research process affected;
• The human verification and validation performed; and
• Relevant prompts or procedures when needed to support reproducibility.

AI use should be disclosed in the cover letter or submission form and in the appropriate section of the manuscript. AI used in research methods, coding, data analysis, or figure generation must be described in the Methods section.

7. Suggested AI Disclosure Statement

Authors may use the following format and modify it according to the actual use:

If no generative AI tool was used, authors may state:

8. Accuracy, References, and Attribution

Authors are responsible for verifying all AI-assisted output. Generative AI may produce content that appears convincing but is inaccurate, incomplete, biased, outdated, misleading, or unsupported.

Authors must:

• Verify every factual statement, calculation, interpretation, and conclusion;
• Locate, read, and evaluate every cited source;
• Ensure that references exist and support the statements for which they are cited;
• Provide appropriate attribution for quoted or adapted material;
• Check for plagiarism and inappropriate reuse;
• Identify and correct biased or misleading output; and
• Ensure that the manuscript accurately represents the authors' own research and conclusions.

An AI-generated response must not be cited as a substitute for the original scholarly source. Authors should cite and verify the relevant primary or authoritative source.

9. AI-Generated Code and Data Analysis

When AI is used to generate, modify, debug, or explain computer code, the authors must inspect, test, document, and validate the resulting code.

Authors must provide sufficient information to allow evaluation and reproduction, including:

• The AI tool and version used;
• The purpose of its use;
• Relevant prompts or instructions when scientifically necessary;
• Human modifications and validation procedures;
• Software dependencies and execution environment, where relevant; and
• Testing, error checking, and performance evaluation procedures.

AI-assisted statistical or data analysis must be described transparently in the Methods section and must be independently checked by authors who understand and can justify the analytical procedure.

10. AI-Generated Images and Figures

AI-generated or AI-modified images, figures, diagrams, or other visual materials must be disclosed when they are included in a manuscript.

Authors must ensure that:

• The visual does not fabricate or misrepresent scientific evidence;
• No relevant feature has been added, removed, hidden, or misleadingly enhanced;
• The use of AI is described in the figure caption or Methods section;
• Copyright, license, consent, and privacy requirements are satisfied;
• Images of identifiable individuals are not generated or altered in a misleading manner; and
• Original data and unmodified source files can be provided to the editor when requested.

11. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Data Protection

12. Use of AI by Reviewers

Submitted manuscripts are confidential and privileged communications. Reviewers must not upload a manuscript, figure, table, dataset, supplementary file, or editorial correspondence to a public or external AI system that cannot guarantee confidentiality and data protection.

Reviewers must:

• Personally read and evaluate the manuscript;
• Use their own scholarly expertise and judgment;
• Take responsibility for every statement and recommendation in the review;
• Verify the accuracy and fairness of their comments;
• Maintain manuscript and author confidentiality; and
• Disclose any journal-authorized use of AI to the editor.

13. Use of AI by Editors

Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and editorial records. Editors must not upload confidential manuscript content to AI services that cannot guarantee confidentiality, privacy, and secure data processing.

AI may support limited administrative activities when approved by the journal and institution, but final editorial decisions must always be made by qualified human editors.

AI-generated scores, summaries, similarity indicators, or automated assessments must not serve as the sole basis for manuscript rejection, acceptance, allegations of misconduct, or other consequential editorial decisions.

14. Evaluation of Suspected AI Misuse

JTST may examine suspected undisclosed or unethical use of generative AI when there is credible evidence affecting the originality, reliability, confidentiality, authorship, or integrity of a manuscript.

The editorial assessment may include:

• Requesting an explanation from the authors;
• Requesting original data, code, prompts, images, or research documentation;
• Examining references, textual inconsistencies, images, and metadata;
• Consulting independent experts;
• Reviewing authorship, ethics, and data availability declarations; and
• Contacting an institution or other competent authority when formal investigation is required.

Automated AI-detection tools may be used as supporting information but will not be treated as conclusive evidence on their own.

15. Non-Disclosure and Policy Violations

Failure to disclose substantive AI use, fabrication of content, false references, manipulation of evidence, confidentiality breaches, or other misuse may be treated as a violation of research or publication ethics.

Depending on the seriousness and publication stage, JTST may:

• Request clarification or correction;
• Return the manuscript for revision;
• Reject the manuscript;
• Publish a correction or expression of concern;
• Retract the published article;
• Restrict future submissions; or
• Notify the relevant institution or another competent authority.

16. Policy Review

Because generative AI technologies and related ethical standards continue to develop, JTST will review and update this policy periodically. Authors, reviewers, and editors are responsible for consulting the most recent version available on the journal website.

17. Ethical References

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• World Association of Medical Editors: Recommendations on Chatbots and Generative AI
• ICMJE Recommendations: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Publishing

18. Contact