Abstract

This study investigated the regulations on the use of AI tools included in the publication policies and author guidelines of 100 randomly sampled journals from the top 25% (Q1) of SCIE and SSCI journals listed in the JCR (Journal Citation Reports), based on Clarivate’s 2023 citation data. The analysis criteria included the presence of AI-related policies, the adoption of common publisher policies, AI authorship, permitted scope of use, disclosure requirements, responsibility for AI-generated content within the paper, and AI use during the peer review process. The results showed that 93 journals had specific policies on AI use, with the majority adopting common publisher policies. All journals with AI-related policies explicitly stated that AI cannot be considered an author. They also mandated specific disclosures (e.g., AI tool name, version, reason for use, and a description of the content and sections where it was used) for any use beyond simple functions like grammar correction and translation. Furthermore, 52 journals prohibited the use of AI-generated images as a matter of principle, except in specific situations like studies on AI itself, and 81 journals included content restricting the use of AI during the peer review process. These findings indicate that AI-related policies are rapidly becoming standardized in international academic publishing, with a strong emphasis on accountability and transparency for human authors using AI tools. This study is significant as it provides a practical basis for the development of AI-related policies and guidelines and for strengthening research ethics in the domestic academic publishing sector.