Artificial Intelligence Policy

Artificial Intelligence Policy

(Open Access – Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International / CC BY 4.0)

Child Education Journal is an Open Access journal that publishes all articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

In response to the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in scholarly publishing, this policy provides guidance to authors, reviewers, editors, and contributors to ensure responsible, transparent, and ethical use of AI in alignment with Open Access principles and CC BY 4.0 licensing.

For Authors

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

Child Education Journal acknowledges that generative AI and AI-assisted tools (“AI Tools”) may be used responsibly to support manuscript preparation, including improving language quality, structuring content, summarizing literature, and assisting idea development. However, AI Tools must not replace human intellectual contribution, scholarly judgment, or critical analysis.

Authors remain fully responsible and accountable for their manuscripts and must ensure that:

  • All AI-assisted outputs are carefully reviewed, verified, and corrected for accuracy, completeness, and bias.

  • The manuscript represents the authors’ original scholarly contribution, analysis, and interpretation.

  • The use of AI Tools is transparent and disclosed at the time of submission.

  • The use of AI Tools does not restrict the rights granted under the CC BY 4.0 license, including reuse, redistribution, and adaptation with proper attribution.

Responsible Use of AI Tools

Authors must review the terms and conditions of any AI Tool to ensure that:

  • Submitted materials are not retained, reused, or used for training purposes without explicit permission.

  • Data privacy, confidentiality, and intellectual property rights are protected.

  • The AI Tool does not impose limitations that conflict with Open Access dissemination under CC BY 4.0.

AI Tools must not be used to generate content that infringes copyright, misrepresents authorship, depicts identifiable individuals, imitates voices, or reproduces protected trademarks or brands. Authors are responsible for identifying and correcting factual errors and potential bias.

Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must include a separate AI Disclosure Statement upon submission, specifying:

  • The name of the AI Tool used,

  • The purpose of its use,

  • The level of human oversight and revision.

This disclosure will appear in the published article to support transparency in Open Access publishing. Routine checks of grammar, spelling, or punctuation do not require disclosure. Any use of AI Tools in research design, data analysis, or methodology must be clearly described in the methods section.

Authorship, Copyright, and Licensing

AI Tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship is limited to individuals who meet established scholarly authorship criteria and who can take responsibility for the integrity and originality of the work.

Authors retain copyright to their work and grant Child Education Journal the right to publish the article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Authors must ensure that the use of AI Tools does not introduce third-party content that cannot be legally shared or adapted under CC BY 4.0.

Use of AI in Figures, Images, and Artwork

The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or modify images, figures, or artwork is not permitted. This includes adding, removing, enhancing, or altering visual elements. Minor technical adjustments (e.g., brightness or contrast) are acceptable only if they do not distort the original data.

An exception applies when AI-assisted image generation or analysis is an integral part of the research methodology. In such cases, authors must fully describe the process in a reproducible manner, including the tool name, version, and parameters, and ensure that the resulting outputs can be lawfully shared under the CC BY 4.0 license.

The use of AI-generated artwork for graphical abstracts is not permitted. AI-generated cover images may be considered only with prior editorial approval and confirmation that all usage rights comply with CC BY 4.0 requirements.

For Reviewers

Manuscripts and peer review reports must be treated as confidential. Reviewers must not upload manuscripts or review reports into AI Tools, as this may violate confidentiality, copyright, or data protection obligations.

Peer review relies on human expertise and judgment; therefore, reviewers must not use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the evaluation of manuscripts. Reviewers remain fully accountable for their review reports.

For Editors

Editors must treat all submitted manuscripts and related communications as confidential and must not upload them into AI Tools. Editorial decisions must be based on human scholarly judgment and must not be delegated to AI technologies.

If a potential violation of this AI policy is identified, editors should report the issue to the publisher. Any AI-assisted tools used internally for screening or administrative purposes comply with ethical standards, data protection requirements, and Open Access principles.

Use of AI in the Publication Process

To support high-quality Open Access publishing, Child Education Journal may use AI-assisted technologies under strict human oversight for:

  • Identifying suitable reviewers and assessing scope alignment,

  • Conducting technical and integrity checks, including plagiarism screening,

  • Supporting post-acceptance processes such as copyediting, proofreading, and consistency checks.

All editorial decisions remain the responsibility of human editors, ensuring compliance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License and maintaining trust in the scholarly record.