As part of our commitment to research integrity, transparency, and responsible authorship, this journal has established the following policy on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the preparation, submission, and evaluation of scholarly content.

1. Acceptable Uses of AI Tools

Authors may use generative AI or AI-assisted tools under the following limited and supervised circumstances:

• Language improvement: AI tools may be used to correct grammar, spelling, and enhance readability.
• Formatting support: Assistance with structuring abstracts, formatting references, or generating figure captions is permitted.
• Translation assistance: AI may be used for preliminary translation, provided that all output is reviewed by the authors.

In all cases, the authors are expected to maintain full intellectual control and critically assess, edit, and validate all content produced with the aid of AI tools.

2. Prohibited Uses of AI Tools

To ensure the authenticity and scientific rigor of submitted work, the following uses of AI are strictly prohibited:

• Generation of scientific content: AI must not be used to produce research hypotheses, data, analyses, interpretations, or conclusions.
• Undisclosed or unverified use: Content generated by AI without human validation or proper disclosure is unacceptable.
• Manipulation of images or data: AI-generated or AI-modified figures, graphs, or datasets are not permitted unless explicitly part of the research methodology and fully disclosed.
• Breach of confidentiality: Reviewers, editors, and authors must not input unpublished material into AI tools, to protect confidentiality and intellectual property.
• AI as an author: AI systems do not meet authorship criteria as outlined by ICMJE or COPE and must not be credited as authors or co-authors.

3. Disclosure Requirement

All uses of AI tools must be fully and transparently disclosed in the manuscript, preferably in the Acknowledgements or Methods section. The disclosure should include:

• The name and version of the AI tool (e.g., “ChatGPT, GPT-4, by OpenAI”),
• A brief description of how the tool was used,
• A statement confirming that the authors have reviewed and approved the final content.

Example disclosure:

“The authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI, GPT-4) to assist with language editing during manuscript preparation. All content was reviewed and revised by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the final version.”

4. Author Responsibility

The corresponding author and all listed co-authors bear full responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of the submitted work, including any content generated or modified using AI tools. Misuse of AI tools will be treated as a breach of publication ethics and may result in corrective action in line with COPE guidelines.

5. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed and revised periodically to reflect technological developments and evolving best practices in academic publishing.

*We are dedicated to fair treatment, diversity, and inclusion. The KIHSS not discriminate on the basis of race, language, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national or ethnic origin, handicap, sexual orientation, or age.

Established: December 31, 2024