AI Policy

Policy on the Use of AI Tools

1. Purpose and Scope

Dampak: Jurnal Teknik Lingkungan of Universitas Andalas welcomes responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, as support for scholarly work. This policy sets out what is acceptable, what must be disclosed, and what is not allowed.

It applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff at every stage, from manuscript preparation through peer review to editorial decisions. It supplements the journal’s Publication Ethics statement, which follows COPE’s Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, and its Plagiarism and Retraction policy, and should be read together with both.

2. Core Principles

  • Integrity and originality: AI may assist the work but must never replace the authors’ own analysis and interpretation.
  • Transparency and accountability: significant AI use is disclosed, and people remain answerable for the content.
  • Confidentiality: submitted manuscripts and review materials are never shared with AI tools.
  • Rights protection: privacy, intellectual property, and other rights are respected.
  • Human oversight: AI tools cannot replace critical thinking or expert judgment.

3. What Counts as an AI Tool

AI tools are digital systems, platforms, or software that use AI techniques, such as machine learning, natural language processing, or deep learning, to generate, analyze, translate, summarize, or modify text, numbers, images, or audio in a scholarly setting. Examples, not an exhaustive list:

  • generative AI and large language models, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude
  • writing and grammar tools, such as Grammarly, DeepL Write, and QuillBot
  • AI-assisted tools for data analysis, coding, and visualization
  • AI-assisted tools for literature discovery and citation

4. Rules for Authors

Authors may use AI tools only if they stay fully responsible for the manuscript. The table shows how each type of use is treated.

Level Type of use What is required
Allowed without disclosure Grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks; small readability improvements that leave the meaning unchanged; formatting of references and citation style Nothing to declare
Allowed with disclosure Substantial rewriting, restructuring, or summarizing of text; translation support beyond light polishing; help with coding, data cleaning, statistical analysis, or modeling; literature mapping or idea generation Declare the use (see section 7). Verify all outputs, make sure they are reproducible, and independently check every claim and cited source
Not allowed Producing an entire manuscript or a substantial part of its original scholarly content; fabricating, falsifying, or manipulating data, results, images, or findings; generating citations without confirming each source exists and is represented accurately; summarizing or rephrasing published work in a way that amounts to plagiarism; creating content that infringes copyright or reuses identifiable third-party material without permission Not permitted under any circumstances

AI-generated text or graphics that reproduce another author’s work follow the same rules on quotation, source identification, and permission as any other borrowed material.

Images, figures, and artwork

Generative AI and AI-assisted tools may not be used to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts. This covers enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or adding any feature in an image or figure. Brightness, contrast, and color-balance adjustments are acceptable only when no information in the original is hidden or lost.

If AI-assisted image generation or interpretation is part of the research design, it is allowed as a methods-based exception. It must be described reproducibly in the Methods section, giving the tool or model name, version, provider, and how the outputs were produced. Authors may be asked to provide the original or unadjusted images for editorial assessment.

AI tools may not be used to produce artwork such as graphical abstracts. Cover art may be considered only with the Editor-in-Chief’s prior permission, clear evidence that all rights have been cleared, and proper attribution.

Turnitin threshold

The maximum accepted Turnitin result is 20%. Authors must revise their manuscripts if the result exceeds this threshold.

5. Author Responsibilities

Authors are solely responsible for everything they submit, including content produced or modified with AI tools. All authors share this responsibility, as they all sign the journal’s Copyright Transfer Form. In line with the Publication Ethics statement, authors must:

  • verify the accuracy, originality, and reliability of AI-assisted content, including checking for incorrect or fabricated references
  • make sure the work is free of plagiarism, bias, factual errors, and hallucinated content, and gives an accurate account of the work performed
  • cite and attribute all external sources, data, and identifiable materials correctly
  • keep their own contribution, interpretation, and scholarly judgment intact and be able to explain them
  • provide the raw data behind the paper for editorial review when asked, and keep it for a reasonable time after publication, including data processed or generated with AI assistance
  • disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest, including relationships with the developers or providers of AI tools used in the work, where these could be seen to influence the results or interpretation
  • accept full responsibility for any errors, omissions, or ethical breaches arising from AI-assisted work

If an author later finds a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article that results from AI-assisted work, the author must promptly notify the editor or publisher and cooperate in correcting or retracting the paper.

6. AI and Authorship

AI tools cannot be authors or co-authors and must not be cited as such. Authorship is limited to people who made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study, and who can take public responsibility for the work, approve the final version, and answer questions about its integrity. Listing an AI tool as an author, in author notes, or in a contribution statement is prohibited and may lead to desk rejection or retraction.

7. How to Disclose AI Use

Any AI use beyond basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks must be disclosed. The disclosure must give:

  • the name, version (where applicable), and provider of the tool
  • the purpose and extent of its use
  • confirmation that the authors reviewed and verified all AI-assisted content and take responsibility for it
Where AI was used Where to disclose
Data analysis, coding, figure generation (methods-based exception), or other parts of the methodology Methods section
Substantial writing support, translation, or restructuring beyond basic proofreading Acknowledgements section
Any disclosable use Optionally, a dedicated section titled “Declaration of AI Tool Usage” before the References

Suggested wording: “In preparing this manuscript, the authors used [AI tool name, version, and provider] for [purpose and extent of use]. The authors carefully reviewed, verified, and edited all AI-assisted output to ensure factual accuracy, clarity, and adherence to academic standards, and they take full responsibility for the content and integrity of this manuscript.”

8. Confidentiality and Tool Terms

Before using an AI tool, authors must check that its terms and conditions protect privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, and other rights. Confidential, proprietary, sensitive, or personally identifiable information must not be given to third-party AI tools unless there is a clear legal basis and adequate safeguards.

9. Rules for Reviewers

Peer review depends on human judgment and confidentiality. In addition to the reviewer duties in the Publication Ethics statement, reviewers must:

  • treat manuscripts under review as confidential and not share or discuss them except as authorized by the editor
  • not upload a manuscript, or any part of it, to a generative AI tool
  • not upload review reports, questionnaires, or review correspondence to any AI tool, even to improve the language
  • not use generative AI to carry out the scientific assessment or to draft review conclusions
  • keep privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review confidential and not use them for personal advantage

Reviewers remain accountable for the content and objectivity of their reports.

10. Rules for Editors and Editorial Staff

In addition to the duties in the Publication Ethics statement, the Editor-in-Chief, the Editorial Board, and editorial staff must:

  • treat submitted manuscripts, editorial notes, and decision communications as confidential, and disclose information about a manuscript only to the people the Publication Ethics statement allows
  • not upload manuscripts or related confidential correspondence, including decision letters, to generative AI tools, even to improve the language
  • not use generative AI to support editorial evaluation or decisions, so that manuscripts are always assessed on their intellectual content by human editors

Editors remain accountable for the editorial process, decisions, and communications.

11. Screening and Compliance Checks

Editors and reviewers will consider AI disclosures as part of the ethical and methodological assessment of each manuscript. The journal may use screening tools, including Turnitin, to support its checks, but it will not rely on automated results alone to decide compliance. Every assessment involves human review, and the editorial office will contact authors directly when clarification is needed.

If undisclosed or inappropriate AI use is suspected, the Editor-in-Chief, who is responsible for reviewing the manuscript, may:

  • ask for clarification, an updated disclosure, supporting materials, or a revision
  • reject the manuscript
  • treat the case under the Plagiarism and Retraction policy where the AI-assisted content amounts to plagiarism
  • begin a formal investigation if misconduct is suspected

12. Handling of Violations

Situation Action
Undisclosed or inappropriate AI use without plagiarism The Editor-in-Chief may request a revision or an updated disclosure, or reject the manuscript at any stage of review
AI-assisted plagiarism, minor Warning, with a request to change the text and cite the original source properly
AI-assisted plagiarism, intermediate Rejection and a one-year ban on further submissions
AI-assisted plagiarism, severe Rejection and a five-year ban on further submissions
Repeated plagiarism by the same authors Decided by the Editorial Board; the authors may be banned permanently
Published article Considered for retraction if its findings are shown to be unreliable (including through fabricated or manipulated data, whether produced with AI or not), if it involves redundant publication, if it constitutes plagiarism, or if it reports unethical research. Retractions follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines

All authors of a paper receive the same penalty. The layout editor keeps the list of authors who have received penalties and checks submissions against it. If a banned author is identified, the layout editor informs the Editor-in-Chief, who takes appropriate measures.

13. Appeals

An author who disagrees with an editorial decision related to AI use may send a formal written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. The appeal should explain the disagreement, provide supporting evidence, and refer to this policy. Appeals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief together with the Editorial Board and may be escalated to the publisher, Universitas Andalas, when appropriate.

14. Review of This Policy

The journal will review and update this policy as AI technology develops and new risks, benefits, and community standards emerge. Authors, reviewers, and editors should read this policy, the Publication Ethics statement, and the Plagiarism and Retraction policy before taking part in the journal’s processes, and should contact the editorial office if they are unsure whether a particular use is allowed.

15. References