Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools

Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies Policy

Management Science Advances (MSA) recognizes that generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may support certain aspects of manuscript preparation and research. Their use, however, must not compromise scientific integrity, originality, transparency, confidentiality, intellectual property, or author responsibility.

Use of AI in Manuscript Preparation

Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may be used during manuscript preparation only to improve language, grammar, readability, and clarity. Such tools must not be used to replace the authors' scientific reasoning or to generate scientific arguments, interpretations, analyses, results, conclusions, or other substantive intellectual contributions.

Human oversight is required at all times. AI-generated or AI-assisted output may contain inaccuracies, omissions, fabricated information, inappropriate references, or biases. Authors must carefully review and edit all AI-assisted content and remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and final content of the submitted manuscript.

Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies that materially contributed to manuscript preparation. Routine tools used solely for basic spelling, grammar, formatting, or reference management do not normally require disclosure.

Where disclosure is required, the authors should identify the tool used and explain its purpose. The disclosure must be included in a separate statement in the manuscript.

AI and Authorship

Generative AI systems and AI-assisted technologies must not be listed as authors or co-authors and must not be cited as authors. Authorship requires responsibilities that can only be assumed by humans, including accountability for the accuracy and integrity of the work, approval of the final manuscript, management of conflicts of interest, and compliance with ethical and legal requirements.

AI as Part of the Research Methodology

The use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, generative AI, or other computational AI methods as part of the research methodology is not prohibited by this policy. Where such technologies constitute part of the scientific method, data analysis, modelling, simulation, experimentation, or other research procedures, their use must be scientifically justified and described transparently in the manuscript.

Authors should provide sufficient methodological information to permit evaluation and, where reasonably possible, reproducibility. This may include the name of the tool, model, or software; version where available; provider or developer; relevant parameters or settings; input and output procedures; and a clear description of how the technology was used.

Prohibition of AI-Generated Images, Figures, and Visual Content

AI-generated images and visual content are not permitted in manuscripts submitted to MSA. Authors must not include images, illustrations, figures, graphical abstracts, diagrams, artwork, photographs, decorative visual elements, or other visual content that has been generated, synthesized, or created using generative AI tools.

This prohibition applies to all parts of the manuscript and accompanying publication materials, regardless of whether the AI-generated visual content is intended for scientific, explanatory, illustrative, graphical, or decorative purposes.

Generative AI and AI-assisted tools must also not be used to add, remove, replace, fabricate, obscure, or otherwise manipulate elements within research images or other visual research records.

Conventional adjustments to genuine research images, such as reasonable changes to brightness, contrast, or color balance, may be permitted where they are applied consistently and do not obscure, eliminate, fabricate, or misrepresent information contained in the original data.

Where AI-based image processing, computer vision, image reconstruction, synthetic-data generation, or related techniques constitute an integral part of the research methodology itself, their scientific use may be permitted. Such methodological use must be clearly identified and described in sufficient detail to allow appropriate scientific evaluation and, where reasonably possible, reproducibility. This methodological exception does not permit the use of AI-generated decorative, illustrative, or publication artwork.

The journal may request original, unedited source images, underlying data, processing records, prompts, computational documentation, or other relevant materials where questions arise concerning the integrity or provenance of visual content.

Editors and Peer Reviewers

Editors and peer reviewers must treat manuscripts and all associated materials as confidential. Manuscripts, manuscript excerpts, figures, tables, supplementary files, review materials, editorial correspondence, or other confidential information obtained through the editorial process must not be uploaded to generative AI systems or AI-assisted tools.

Editors must not use generative AI or AI-assisted tools to evaluate confidential manuscripts or to generate editorial assessments or decisions. Editorial decisions must remain under human responsibility and must be based on appropriate scholarly assessment and the journal's editorial procedures.

Peer reviewers must not use generative AI or AI-assisted tools to analyze, summarize, evaluate, or review submitted manuscripts or to generate or edit peer-review reports. Reviewers remain personally responsible for the content, accuracy, integrity, originality, and confidentiality of their reviews.

Example Declaration

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Manuscript Preparation Process

During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [NAME AND VERSION OF TOOL, WHERE APPLICABLE] for [PURPOSE, e.g., improving language and readability]. The tool was not used to generate scientific content, analyses, results, interpretations, or conclusions. The authors reviewed and edited all AI-assisted output and take full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and final content of the manuscript. No generative AI tools were used to create, generate, or modify images, figures, graphical abstracts, artwork, or other visual content included in the manuscript.

If generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were not used in a manner requiring disclosure, no declaration is necessary.

Publication Ethics and AI-Related Concerns

Suspected inappropriate use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies, including undisclosed substantive AI use, AI-generated scientific content presented without appropriate author responsibility, unauthorized AI-generated visual material, manipulation of research images, or inappropriate use of confidential manuscript material, may be assessed as a publication-integrity concern.

Such concerns will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics Statement and Procedures for Dealing with Allegations of Unethical Behaviour. Where an established concern affects an article that has already been published, any necessary amendment to the scholarly record will be handled under the journal's Retraction and Correction Policies.