Artificial Intelligence Policy

Generative AI Policy

Civil Engineering Scientific Journal (CESJ)

1. General Principles

Civil Engineering Scientific Journal (CESJ) recognizes that generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies can support research and scholarly communication. Potential applications include language improvement, idea exploration, literature discovery, coding assistance, and the preparation of research materials.

Such tools must be used responsibly, transparently, and under human supervision. Their use must not compromise scientific accuracy, originality, confidentiality, intellectual property rights, or research integrity.

This policy applies to authors, editors, and reviewers. It covers tools capable of generating text, images, code, audio, or synthetic data, including large language models and multimodal systems.

2. Risks and Responsibilities

Users must consider the following limitations:

  • Inaccurate or misleading outputs: AI tools may generate incorrect statements, calculations, references, code, or interpretations.

  • Bias: Outputs may reproduce biases arising from training data, model design, or user instructions.

  • Inadequate attribution: Generated content may fail to acknowledge original sources or may reproduce protected material.

  • Confidentiality and data protection: Information submitted to external services may be retained, processed, or reused under the provider’s terms.

  • Limited transparency: Some tools do not provide sufficient information about how their outputs were produced.

Authors, editors, and reviewers remain responsible for their professional judgments and must independently evaluate any AI-assisted output they use.

3. Permitted Use by Authors

Authors may use generative AI to support activities such as:

  • Improving grammar, language, readability, and organization.

  • Translating author-developed content, subject to verification.

  • Exploring research ideas and potential approaches.

  • Identifying literature and assisting with its organization.

  • Developing, explaining, or debugging research code.

  • Supporting research methods where the tool’s suitability, limitations, and performance can be evaluated.

AI assistance must not replace the authors’ critical analysis, scientific interpretation, or responsibility for the manuscript.

Authors must verify all references against their original sources. AI-generated summaries and citations must not be treated as verified evidence.

4. Authorship and Accountability

Generative AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors. They cannot approve a manuscript, consent to publication, disclose conflicts of interest, or accept accountability for research integrity.

Human authors remain responsible for the entire submission, including AI-assisted text, code, calculations, figures, and supplementary materials. They must ensure that the manuscript accurately represents the research conducted and does not infringe the rights of others.

Use of an AI tool does not independently establish eligibility for authorship.

5. Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose substantive use of generative AI in research or manuscript preparation.

The disclosure must identify:

  1. The tool and provider.

  2. The model or version, where available.

  3. The purpose and extent of use.

  4. The procedures used to check the outputs.

For language, translation, or writing assistance, include a statement titled “Declaration of Generative AI Use” before the References section.

Suggested wording:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [tool name, provider, and model/version, where available] to [describe the purpose]. The authors reviewed and verified the resulting content and take full responsibility for the final manuscript.”

AI used in data processing, analysis, modeling, or other research procedures must also be described in the Methods section. Relevant details should include inputs, settings, validation procedures, and limitations sufficient to support scientific evaluation.

Basic spelling checks, reference management, and conventional formatting tools do not require a separate declaration unless their generative functions are used substantively.

6. Research Data, Images, Figures, and Code

Authors must not use generative AI to fabricate observations, measurements, experimental results, references, or other research evidence.

AI-generated images must not be presented as authentic photographs, field observations, laboratory results, structural defects, material behavior, or other observed engineering conditions.

Synthetic data may be used when their generation is an explicit and scientifically justified part of the research design. Such data must be clearly identified, distinguished from observed data, and accompanied by an explanation of their generation, validation, intended use, and limitations. They must not be used to conceal missing observations or misrepresent completed experiments.

AI-generated or AI-modified visual materials must be clearly disclosed in the relevant captions. Their accuracy, provenance, and scientific purpose must be verifiable. Visual alterations that conceal, introduce, or misrepresent research findings are prohibited.

Charts and tables must accurately represent the underlying data. AI-assisted code, equations, and numerical outputs must be checked through appropriate testing, independent calculations, or validation against established methods.

For civil engineering applications, authors must verify engineering assumptions, units, boundary conditions, material properties, and relevant design requirements. AI outputs must not be treated as validated engineering conclusions without appropriate assessment.

7. Confidentiality and Intellectual Property

Authors must assess the privacy, security, and intellectual property terms of any AI service before use.

Confidential project documents, proprietary designs, unpublished third-party research, personal information, and restricted infrastructure data must not be uploaded without appropriate authorization and safeguards.

Authors are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions and ensuring that AI-assisted content complies with applicable copyright, licensing, contractual, and confidentiality obligations.

8. Use by Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers must preserve the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and associated materials.

They must not upload manuscripts, extracts, figures, supplementary files, reviewer reports, or editorial correspondence to public or unauthorized generative AI services.

Peer review and editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of qualified human reviewers and editors. AI must not be used to replace independent scientific assessment or to generate an assessment that is submitted without substantive human evaluation.

Any proposed use involving confidential submission materials requires prior authorization from the journal and adequate safeguards for confidentiality and data protection. Reviewers must disclose authorized substantive AI assistance to the handling editor.

9. Editorial Assessment and Noncompliance

CESJ may request clarification, supporting records, original data, code, or further validation when AI use raises concerns about a manuscript’s reliability or compliance with this policy.

AI-detection scores alone will not be treated as conclusive evidence of misconduct. Editorial assessment will consider the manuscript, available evidence, and the authors’ explanations.

Undisclosed or inappropriate AI use may result in requests for clarification or revision, suspension of processing, rejection, or appropriate post-publication action. Where necessary, concerns may be referred to the relevant institution.

Responsible and properly disclosed AI assistance does not, by itself, constitute grounds for rejection.

10. Policy Review and Contact

CESJ will review this policy as AI technologies and scholarly publishing practices develop. Updated requirements will be communicated through the journal’s website.

Questions concerning this policy may be directed to:

Civil Engineering Scientific Journal (CESJ)
Email: borneo.cesj@gmail.com
Website: https://jurnal.borneo.ac.id/index.php/CESJ/index

Policy References