AI Policy

MINDSET permits the use of generative artificial intelligence tools, including large language models, at defined stages of manuscript preparation and editorial work. Use must be disclosed. This policy applies to all content types and to every stage of the publication process.

Disclosure Requirement

Authors who use any generative AI tool while preparing a manuscript must declare it. The declaration appears in a section headed AI Use Declaration, placed immediately before the references, and must state:

• the name and version of each tool used;
• the specific tasks for which it was used;
• the stage of preparation at which it was used.

Where the tool was used only for language editing, a single sentence in the Acknowledgements is sufficient in place of a separate section.

Permitted and Prohibited Uses

Generative AI may be used to improve grammar, readability, and clarity of expression in text the authors have written themselves.

Generative AI must not be used to:

• compile, screen, or summarise the literature that forms the basis of the review;
• generate scientific, clinical, or educational content, or draw conclusions from data;
• produce figures, illustrations, or any other images submitted with the manuscript;
• fabricate, alter, or complete data, or generate references.

Where AI-assisted methods form part of the data analysis itself, such as machine learning applied to study data, this is not covered by this policy and must instead be described in full in the Methods section.

Responsibility and Verification

Output produced by generative AI can be inaccurate, incomplete, or biased while appearing authoritative. Authors must verify every statement, citation, and numerical value in the submitted text against the original sources. Responsibility for the content of a manuscript rests entirely with the named authors, irrespective of the tools used to prepare it.

Authorship

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship carries obligations that only a person can discharge, including accountability for the integrity of the work, approval of the final version, and consent to submission.

Editors and Reviewers

A submitted manuscript is a confidential document. Editors and reviewers must not upload a manuscript, or any part of it, to a generative AI tool. This applies to language improvement as much as to any other purpose, since uploading may breach the confidentiality and proprietary rights of the authors and the data protection rights of research participants.

Reviewers must write their own reports. A reviewer who has used a generative AI tool in preparing any part of a report must inform the editor.