Comprehensive Consideration of Ethics in AI-assisted Scientific Writing and Peer Review

Area of Science:

• Scholarly Publishing
• Artificial Intelligence Ethics
• Academic Integrity

Background:

• The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) necessitates a shift from misconduct prevention to proactive ethical guidelines in scholarly publishing.
• Current practices are insufficient to address the integration of AI in manuscript production and academic discourse.
• A new ethical framework is crucial for maintaining trust and rigor in research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a new ethical standard for scholarly publishing and peer review in the age of AI.
• To outline a regulatory revision roadmap addressing AI integration challenges.
• To ensure academic rigor and institutional trust amidst technological advancements.

Main Methods:

• Development of a new ethical standard focusing on transparency, accountability, and confidentiality.
• Proposal of a tiered disclosure framework for AI utilization in manuscripts.
• Recommendation for AI application within closed security systems for peer review.
• Identification of new risk factors, including algorithmic sycophancy and prompt injection attacks.

Main Results:

• AI cannot be credited as an author; human authors retain final accountability for academic integrity.
• A tiered disclosure framework ensures transparency regarding AI utilization.
• AI in peer review must be confined to secure systems to prevent data breaches.
• Human expertise remains essential for verifying the integrity of AI-assisted peer review.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive regulatory revision roadmap is presented, integrating author, reviewer, and editor obligations.
• The framework positions AI as a scholarly aid, not an absolute prohibition, emphasizing human accountability.
• This approach aims to maintain academic rigor and enhance institutional trust in AI-influenced scholarly communication.