Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The Journal of Sports, Exercise, and Performance (JOSEP) recognizes that artificial intelligence tools may be used as supportive tools in academic writing and research processes. However, the use of AI tools must be transparent and must comply with the principles of scientific responsibility, originality, ethical conduct, and accountability.

General Principle

JOSEP acknowledges that AI-based language models, writing assistants, translation tools, language editing software, analysis support systems, and similar technologies may be used only as supportive tools in scholarly work. The use of such tools does not remove the scientific responsibility of the authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the scientific content, data, analyses, interpretations, accuracy of references, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts.

AI Tools Cannot Be Listed as Authors

Artificial intelligence tools, chatbots, language models, or automated text-generation systems cannot be listed as authors, co-authors, or contributors. Authorship is reserved only for real individuals who can take scientific, intellectual, and ethical responsibility for the work.

AI tools cannot guarantee the accuracy of the work, take ethical responsibility, disclose conflicts of interest, or be held accountable during the publication process.

Acceptable Uses

Authors may use AI-assisted tools in a limited and responsible manner for the following purposes:

  • Language and style editing
  • Grammar, spelling, and fluency checks
  • Translation or post-translation language refinement
  • Suggestions for improving text structure
  • Language improvement of titles, abstracts, tables, or draft sections
  • Technical support in coding, data organization, or analysis processes

Such uses do not transfer responsibility for the scientific content, data interpretation, findings, or original contribution away from the authors.

Uses That Must Be Disclosed

If AI tools have been used substantially in manuscript writing, language editing, data analysis, code generation, visual production, translation, or content drafting, this use must be clearly disclosed in the manuscript.

The disclosure should include the name of the tool, the purpose of use, and the stage of the work in which it was used.

Suggested Statement: An AI-assisted language tool was used only to improve English language editing and textual fluency. The scientific content, data, analyses, and interpretations of the study remain entirely the responsibility of the authors.

Unacceptable Uses

JOSEP does not consider the following uses of AI tools acceptable:

  • Fabricating, altering, or generating research data
  • Generating false or unverifiable references
  • Producing false ethics approval, permission, or declaration statements
  • Using AI tools to conceal plagiarism or rewrite non-original content
  • Automatically generating an entire manuscript without meaningful scholarly contribution by the authors
  • Uploading unpublished manuscript files to third-party AI systems in a way that may violate peer review or editorial confidentiality

Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for carefully reviewing all content generated or edited with the assistance of AI tools. AI tools may produce inaccurate information, false references, incomplete interpretations, biased statements, or scientifically invalid suggestions.

The accuracy of all statements, validity of references, appropriateness of analyses, correctness of ethical declarations, and originality of the work remain the responsibility of the authors.

Confidentiality for Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors must not upload unpublished manuscript files, author information, reviewer reports, or editorial correspondence to AI systems that may pose confidentiality risks.

If reviewers use AI-assisted tools while preparing review reports, they remain fully responsible for the accuracy, scientific quality, and confidentiality of their comments.

Images, Tables, and Data Outputs

If AI-generated images, tables, figures, code, or data outputs are used, this must be clearly stated. AI-generated content must not create a misleading impression of real data or false findings.

If research data are analyzed using AI tools, the tool, method, version, and analytical process should be reported with sufficient clarity.

Transparency Statement

JOSEP adopts a transparent and responsible approach to the use of artificial intelligence rather than a purely restrictive one. The use of AI tools must be clearly disclosed, while scientific responsibility, ethical compliance, and originality must be preserved.