In accordance to COPE guidelines on artificial intelligence and authorship, IJEI establishes the following strict policies regarding the ethical use of Generative AI:

1. Authorship and Transparency

Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude do not meet the criteria for authorship because they cannot take legal, ethical, or intellectual accountability for published work. AI cannot be listed as an author or co-author. Authors who utilize AI tools in the preparation of a manuscript (e.g., conceptualization, literature drafting, coding, data visualization, or English proofreading) must provide full transparency and explicit disclosure in the methods, acknowledgments, or a dedicated 'AI Statement' declaring which tool was used, the version/model, date of access, and precise scope of application.

Authors must declare the use of generative AI in scientific writing upon submission of the paper. The following guidance refers only to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyse and draw insights from data as part of the research process:

• Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should only be used in the writing process to improve the readability and language of the manuscript.
• The technology must be applied with human oversight and control and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased. Authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.
• Authors must not list or cite AI and AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author on the manuscript since authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans.
• The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific writing must be declared by adding a statement at the end of the manuscript when the paper is first submitted. The statement will appear in the published work and should be placed in a new section before the references list.
• The declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools, such as tools used to check grammar, spelling and references.
• We are actively evaluating compliant AI tools and may revise this policy in the future.

Example of the declaration statement: During the preparation of this work, we used [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, we reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.

If you have nothing to disclose, which means you do not use any generative AI or AI-assisted technology during the writing process, you can write at the declaration section: We do not use any generative AI or AI-assisted technology during the writing process of this manuscript.

Moreover, please read our policy on the use of generative AI and AI-assisted tools in figures, images and artwork, as follows:

• IJEI does not allow the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts.
• The only exception is if the use of AI or AI-assisted tools is part of the research design or methods. If this is the case, such use must be described in a reproducible manner in the methods section, including the name of the model or tool, version and extension numbers, and manufacturer.
• The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the production of artwork such as for graphical abstracts is not permitted. The use of generative AI in the production of cover art may in some cases be allowed, if the author obtains prior permission from the journal editor and publisher, can demonstrate that all necessary rights have been cleared for the use of the relevant material, and ensures that there is correct content attribution.

2. Editorial Decision Limits

Editors and the Editorial Board shall not rely on automated AI tools or algorithms to make final editorial decisions regarding manuscript desk-rejection, acceptance, or reviewer assignment. All editorial evaluations and decisions remain strictly human-driven and under the direct accountability of qualified editors.

3. Reviewer Prohibition

Peer-reviewers are STRICTLY PROHIBITED from uploading manuscripts, abstracts, or peer-review drafts to generative AI tools, LLMs, or external machine learning platforms. Uploading confidential submissions breaches author confidentiality, proprietary data integrity, and privacy standards. Review reports must represent the independent critical evaluation and expertise of the assigned human reviewers.