PALITA: Journal of Social - Religion Research is committed to upholding academic integrity, transparency, confidentiality, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing. This policy establishes guidelines for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI and AI-assisted tools, in manuscript preparation, editorial activities, and peer review.

AI tools may be used for specific purposes under the conditions outlined below. However, AI must not replace human scholarly judgment, authorship responsibility, or editorial decision-making. Peer reviewers are prohibited from using AI tools during the peer-review process.

1. Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI tools to assist with language editing, grammar correction, translation, and improvements to the clarity, readability, and presentation of their manuscripts. All AI-assisted content must be carefully reviewed and verified by the authors to ensure accuracy, originality, appropriate interpretation, and consistency with the intended meaning.

Authors must not use AI to:

• Fabricate, falsify, or manipulate research data, interview transcripts, quotations, references, findings, or other research evidence.

• Generate or manipulate images, figures, or other materials in ways that misrepresent research evidence.

• Replace their own scholarly judgment, critical analysis, interpretation, or responsibility for the research.

• Present AI-generated content as original research or empirical evidence without appropriate methodological justification and transparent disclosure.

• Produce misleading, unsupported, or unverified claims and references.

When AI tools are used as part of the research process, authors must explain their role in the Methods section or another appropriate methodological section. This explanation should identify the tool, its purpose, the procedures involved, and how the outputs were verified.

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, ethical compliance, and integrity of their submitted manuscripts, including all content generated or modified with AI assistance.

2. Disclosure of AI Use by Authors

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in preparing or revising a manuscript, including AI-assisted language editing, translation, and other relevant applications.

The disclosure must appear in a separate section entitled “Declaration of AI Use”, placed before the References section. The declaration should include:

• The name of the AI tool and its provider.

• The version or model used, where available.

• The purpose and extent of AI use, including the relevant sections or activities.

• The steps taken by the authors to review, verify, and revise the AI-assisted content.

Example of an AI use declaration:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI, [model/version, where available]) to improve the English grammar and readability of [specify the relevant sections]. The authors carefully reviewed and revised all AI-assisted content, verified its accuracy, and take full responsibility for the final content of the manuscript.”

Declaration when no AI tools have been used:

“The authors declare that no AI tools were used in the preparation or revision of this manuscript.”

Disclosure of AI use does not replace the requirement to explain the use of AI as part of the research methodology when applicable.

3. AI and Authorship

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of manuscripts published in PALITA: Journal of Social Religion Research.

Authorship requires human accountability, intellectual contribution, and the ability to take responsibility for the integrity of scholarly work. AI tools cannot independently fulfill these responsibilities.

All authors must ensure that their contributions comply with the journal's authorship requirements and that any AI-assisted content is appropriately verified and disclosed. The use of AI does not diminish or transfer the authors' responsibility for their work.

4. Use of AI by the Editorial Team

Editors may use AI tools for limited administrative or language-related assistance involving non-confidential material. Such assistance must not replace independent editorial judgment, the assessment of scholarly merit, the interpretation of reviewers' comments, or decisions concerning acceptance, rejection, or revision.

Editors must disclose AI use undertaken in their editorial roles. The disclosure should identify the tool, its purpose, the material or activity affected, and the verification performed by the responsible editor.

For manuscript-specific applications, the disclosure must be documented in the manuscript's editorial record and communicated to the authors where applicable. If AI is used to assist in preparing editorial content for publication, an appropriate declaration must accompany that content.

Editors must not upload or disclose unpublished manuscripts, manuscript excerpts, reviewer reports, author identities, personal information, or confidential editorial correspondence to AI applications.

Editors remain responsible for protecting confidentiality, maintaining the integrity of the editorial process, and ensuring that all editorial decisions are made through independent human judgment.

5. Prohibition of AI Use in Peer Review

Peer reviewers for PALITA: Journal of Social Religion Research must evaluate manuscripts independently and rely on their own expertise, critical thinking, and scholarly judgment.

The use of AI tools in any part of the peer-review process is prohibited.

This prohibition includes, but is not limited to:

• Using AI to analyze, summarize, interpret, or evaluate submitted manuscripts.

• Using AI to assess originality, research methodology, findings, references, or scholarly contributions.

• Using AI to generate, draft, rewrite, translate, or improve peer-review comments and recommendations.

• Uploading manuscripts, manuscript excerpts, supplementary materials, or confidential review-related information to AI applications.

Reviewers who are unable to complete an assessment without AI assistance should inform the handling editor rather than use AI tools. Any accidental disclosure of confidential manuscript material to an AI application must be reported promptly to the editor.

Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, objectivity, and professional responsibility throughout the review process.

6. Confidentiality and Human Accountability

All authors, editors, and reviewers must protect confidential, personal, sensitive, and third-party information when using AI tools. Information must not be disclosed to AI services without the necessary authorization, rights, permissions, and appropriate safeguards.

The permitted use of AI does not exempt any individual from responsibility for research integrity, originality, confidentiality, data protection, or compliance with publication ethics.

All scholarly claims, interpretations, and editorial decisions must remain subject to meaningful human verification and judgment. Individuals using AI tools are accountable for ensuring that the resulting content is accurate, ethical, and appropriate for scholarly publication.

7. Non-Compliance

Suspected violations of this policy will be assessed fairly and appropriately, allowing the individuals concerned an opportunity to provide an explanation.

Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, PALITA: Journal of Social Religion Research may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification, additional disclosure, or manuscript revision.

• Reject a manuscript that violates the journal's ethical standards.

• Arrange a new independent peer review when the integrity of the review process has been compromised.

• Issue a correction or retract a published article when warranted.

• Remove a reviewer or editor from the relevant assignment or editorial role when necessary.

The journal reserves the right to review and update this policy periodically in response to developments in AI technology, scholarly publishing standards, and applicable research ethics requirements.

By submitting a manuscript to PALITA: Journal of Social Religion Research, authors acknowledge their responsibility to comply with this policy and uphold the principles of academic integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarship.