GENERATIVE AI POLICY

The International Journal of Pharmacy and Allied Fields (IJPAF) acknowledges the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in various stages of the research and publication process. These tools, including but not limited to language editing platforms (such as Grammarly), text generation tools (like ChatGPT or other large language models), and data analysis software, can offer valuable support to authors. However, their use must be ethical, transparent, and must not compromise the scientific integrity of the work.

Authors are permitted to use AI tools for technical assistance such as improving grammar, refining sentence structure. However, AI must not be credited as an author, as these tools do not meet the ICMJE authorship criteria which require accountability, originality, and approval of the final manuscript. Only humans who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript preparation can be listed as authors.

If AI tools are used to support manuscript writing, content generation, data analysis, or literature summaries, authors must clearly disclose this in the “Acknowledgment” or “Methods” section of the manuscript. The disclosure should specify the tool used, its version, and how it contributed to the work. For example: “Portions of this manuscript were assisted using ChatGPT (OpenAI, version X), which was used to help structure the abstract and improve grammar.”

Under no circumstances should authors rely on AI tools to generate, alter, or fabricate data, references, or experimental results. Any such misuse will be considered a serious breach of publication ethics and will result in rejection or retraction in accordance with COPE guidelines. Authors are solely responsible for the content and accuracy of their manuscripts, including sections produced with the aid of AI tools.

IJPAF expects authors, reviewers, and editors to use AI tools responsibly and with full awareness of the limitations and risks, including the possibility of bias, hallucinated references, or inaccurate information.

By submiƫng to IJPAF, authors confirm that any use of AI complies with this policy and that full responsibility for the work rests with the listed human authors. The journal reserves the right to update this policy in response to developments in AI technology and publishing standards.