Policy on the Use of AI

1. General Statement

Al-fiqh: Journal of Islamic Studies recognizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies can support authors, editors, and other stakeholders in the scholarly publishing process. However, the use of AI must not compromise academic integrity, authorship accountability, confidentiality, originality, transparency, or the quality of scholarly communication.

The journal therefore permits limited and responsible use of AI-assisted technologies under the conditions stipulated in this policy. The use of AI does not transfer responsibility for the content of a manuscript or editorial decision to an AI system. Authors, editors, and reviewers remain fully responsible for their respective contributions and decisions.

2. Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies as supporting tools in the preparation of manuscripts, including for purposes such as language improvement, grammar correction, translation, formatting assistance, or other non-substantive editorial purposes.

However, authors must not use AI as a substitute for their intellectual and scholarly responsibility. Authors remain fully responsible for:

  1. the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript;
  2. the validity of data, analysis, interpretation, and conclusions;
  3. the accuracy of citations and references;
  4. the originality of ideas and arguments;
  5. compliance with research ethics and publication ethics; and
  6. verifying all outputs generated or assisted by AI.

AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the content, integrity, and accountability of a scholarly publication.

3. Disclosure of AI Use by Authors

Authors who use AI-assisted technologies in preparing their manuscripts must disclose such use to the journal.

The disclosure should identify:

  • the AI tool or system used;
  • the purpose of its use; and
  • the section or aspect of the manuscript in which the AI-assisted technology was used, where applicable.

The disclosure should be included in an appropriate section of the manuscript or in the submission process as required by the journal.

Examples of acceptable disclosure include:

AI Disclosure: The authors used [name of AI tool] to assist with language editing and grammar improvement. All AI-assisted outputs were reviewed and verified by the authors, who remain fully responsible for the content of this manuscript.

The use of AI to generate substantive academic content, fabricate or manipulate data, create unverifiable references, or conceal the origin of intellectual contributions is not permitted.

4. Use of AI by Editors

Editors may use AI-assisted technologies only for limited administrative or technical purposes that support journal management and editorial work, provided that such use does not compromise confidentiality, fairness, editorial independence, or academic integrity.

Editors must not delegate editorial judgment to AI systems. Decisions concerning:

  • acceptance or rejection of manuscripts;
  • selection of reviewers;
  • assessment of scholarly quality;
  • interpretation of reviewers' comments;
  • resolution of ethical issues; and
  • final editorial decisions

must remain under the responsibility of the authorized editor.

Editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, unpublished research data, personal information, reviewer reports, or other protected materials into AI systems that do not provide adequate confidentiality and data protection.

AI-generated recommendations or outputs, when used for legitimate editorial purposes, must be critically evaluated and verified by the editor before being acted upon.

5. Use of AI by Reviewers

Reviewers are prohibited from using AI-assisted technologies to evaluate, summarize, analyze, or generate comments on manuscripts submitted for peer review, particularly by uploading or entering the manuscript or any part thereof into an AI system.

This prohibition is intended to protect:

  1. manuscript confidentiality;
  2. authors' intellectual property;
  3. unpublished research findings;
  4. reviewer confidentiality;
  5. editorial integrity; and
  6. the independence and accountability of the peer-review process.

Reviewers must prepare their evaluations independently and are personally responsible for the substance, fairness, and confidentiality of their review reports.

6. AI and Research Integrity

The use of AI-assisted technologies must not be employed to:

  • fabricate or falsify research data;
  • manipulate research results;
  • generate false or unverifiable references;
  • misrepresent sources or quotations;
  • plagiarize or reproduce another person's intellectual work without proper attribution;
  • conceal substantive AI-generated contributions;
  • impersonate authors, reviewers, or editors; or
  • otherwise circumvent established principles of research and publication ethics.

Any suspected misuse of AI may be investigated in accordance with the journal's publication ethics and research integrity procedures.

7. Editorial Responsibility

The Al-fiqh: Journal of Islamic Studies Editorial Board reserves the right to request clarification from authors regarding the use of AI-assisted technologies when necessary.

Failure to disclose AI use, provision of misleading information regarding AI use, or use of AI in a manner that violates academic integrity may constitute a breach of publication ethics and may result in appropriate editorial action, including revision, rejection, retraction, or other corrective measures in accordance with the journal's policies.

8. Final Responsibility

AI-assisted technologies are tools and cannot bear authorship, editorial, or peer-review responsibility. Human authors, editors, and reviewers remain accountable for their respective scholarly and editorial activities.

This policy may be reviewed and updated periodically in response to developments in AI technology, scholarly publishing standards, and applicable regulations.