AI and Authorship

The following guidance solely refers to the writing process of the paper, and not to the use of AI tools in order to draw insights from and analyze data as part of the research process:
Authors must only use these AI-based technologies to improve readability and language of their paper and generating figures, tables and videos that have not been borrowed from other sources. Utilizing the technology must be done with human oversight and control. Authors must carefully edit and review the final results, as AI is able to generate authoritative-sounding output that can be scientifically incorrect, incomplete, or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies must not be listed in the authors’ list or be cited as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities that can only be performed by and attributed to humans. Please note that authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.

Transparency and Disclosure

Authors must disclose the use of AI-assisted technologies in their writing process by adding a statement at the end of their manuscript, before the References list. The statement must be placed in a new section entitled 'Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)'.

Statement: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.

This declaration does not apply to the utilization of basic tools for checking English grammar, spelling, references etc. This statement is only mandatory for papers that have applied AI-assisted technologies.           

Author Accountability

Authors are fully responsible for all manuscript content, including portions influenced by AI tools. This includes:

• Accuracy: Verifying all facts, data, and citations generated by AI.
• Originality: Ensuring the work does not infringe on copyright or intellectual property.
• Integrity: Adhering to ethical standards and journal policies. AI must not be used to facilitate plagiarism, data fabrication, or image manipulation.

Prohibited Uses

The use of AI to create fraudulent or entirely synthetic data, images, or patient records is strictly prohibited and constitutes scientific misconduct. See Publication Ethics > Data Integrity.

The use of AI tools by reviewers to assess manuscripts is also prohibited, to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the peer review process.