1. Introduction and Editorial Position

The increasing sophistication of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools—especially Large Language Models (LLMs) and multimodal AI systems—has led to their growing adoption across multiple domains, including scientific research, academic writing, and publishing. These technologies have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in generating human-like text, images, audio, and synthetic datasets. They are increasingly employed to support idea development, language refinement, data interpretation, and editorial assistance.

“Oral and Implantology” acknowledges the transformative potential of these tools and supports their responsible and transparent use by authors, editors, and peer reviewers. At the same time, the journal acknowledges the ethical, legal, and scientific challenges that arise from the misuse or improper application of these concepts.

To align with evolving international standards, including the WAME Recommendations on Chatbots and Generative Artificial Intelligence about Scholarly Publications, we have developed the following comprehensive guidelines. These are designed to ensure clarity, accountability, and scientific integrity in all publications involving the use of Generative AI technologies.

 

2. Scope and Examples of Generative AI Tools

Generative AI refers to a class of machine learning systems that can autonomously create new content based on learned patterns from existing data. Common tools include:

• Text generation: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Jasper AI, Copilot
• Image generation: DALL·E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion
• Audio generation: ElevenLabs, Resemble.ai
• Multimodal systems: Runway, GPT-4o
• Synthetic data and code generation: AlphaCode, TabNine, GitHub Copilot

These tools can be applied to a range of tasks, including idea brainstorming, grammar correction, summarization, code generation, translation, and data synthesis. However, their use in scholarly publishing must be transparent, supervised, and disclosed.

 

3. Benefits and Risks

3.1 Potential Benefits

When used appropriately and under human oversight, generative AI tools can provide significant benefits:

• Supporting authors who write in non-native languages by improving clarity and grammar.
• Enhancing conceptual exploration and literature mapping.
• Accelerating early manuscript drafting and formatting.
• Assisting with basic coding or data visualization.
• Improving editorial efficiency during revisions and submissions.

3.2 Risks and Ethical Concerns

Despite their utility, these technologies raise multiple concerns:

• Inaccuracy and hallucinations: AI tools generate statistically plausible text, not verified facts. They can introduce false information or data that appears credible but lacks a factual basis.
• Bias propagation: Generative models may reflect and reinforce societal or dataset-related biases.
• Lack of attribution: AI-generated content often omits references or fails to cite the sources of ideas or phrases properly.
• Plagiarism risks: Unchecked AI use can lead to unintentional paraphrasing or replication of existing material.
• Confidentiality violations: When manuscripts or data are input into third-party AI systems, privacy, data security, and intellectual property may be compromised.
• Reproducibility challenges: Content generated by AI may be difficult to verify or reproduce, particularly if the use of AI is not disclosed.

 

4. Use of Generative AI by Authors

4.1 Authorial Responsibility

Authors remain entirely accountable for the content of their submissions, regardless of whether AI tools were used in the creation of any part of the manuscript. This includes:

• Scientific accuracy
• Originality of work
• Proper attribution of sources
• Adherence to ethical research and writing standards

AI tools cannot be credited as authors under any circumstances. Authorship implies accountability for content, consent to publication, ability to respond to peer review, and agreement to copyright and license terms—all of which are responsibilities only humans can assume.

4.2 Acceptable Uses

“Oral and Implantology” supports the responsible use of AI tools for:

• Language editing and grammar correction, especially for non-native speakers
• Idea generation and brainstorming for manuscript sections
• Organization of references or preliminary outlines
• Interactive search and information synthesis, using AI-augmented search engines
• Code writing for figures or statistical illustrations, when validated by the author

These uses must be disclosed and followed by thorough human review to ensure correctness and scientific rigor.

4.3 Prohibited Uses

The following applications are not permitted:

• Using AI to write substantial parts of a manuscript (e.g., Introduction, Results, Discussion) without complete human verification and editing
• Using AI to generate original data, figures, images, or tables
• Using AI to impute missing data or simulate research findings
• Using AI to produce abstracts, conclusions, or supplementary material without critical review
• Manipulating figures or images using AI (including enhancing, adding, deleting, or obscuring elements)

Any use of AI that compromises the authenticity, reproducibility, or ethical integrity of the work may lead to editorial rejection or post-publication investigation.

 

5. Mandatory Disclosure Requirements

If any Generative AI tool is used during manuscript preparation, authors must include a transparent disclosure statement, specifying:

• The name of the tool and its version (e.g., ChatGPT-4, Jasper AI v3.2)
• The provider (e.g., OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic)
• The specific purpose of use (e.g., grammar correction, rephrasing, code generation)
• The extent of the use (e.g., all text, selected paragraphs, figures)

This statement should be placed in the Methods or Acknowledgments section of the manuscript. Failure to disclose will be considered a violation of publication ethics.

Example disclosure:

“Portions of this manuscript were edited for language clarity using ChatGPT (version GPT-4, OpenAI), under full human supervision. The tool was used exclusively for grammar correction and did not generate scientific content or conclusions.”

 

6. Editorial Freedom and Review Rights

“Oral and Implantology” reserves the right to:

• Investigate suspected inappropriate or undisclosed AI use
• Require authors to revise, clarify, or retract AI-generated content
• Decline to publish content where AI usage undermines scientific rigor or editorial standards

Editors and peer reviewers may request additional information if there are concerns about the role of AI in manuscript development.

 

7. Use of AI by Editors and Peer Reviewers

7.1 Editors

Editors are guardians of research integrity and must ensure that all submitted material remains confidential. The use of Generative AI tools by editors is restricted. Specifically:

• Editors must not input unpublished manuscripts, figures, or files into AI systems
• Editors may consult AI tools for language editing or technical queries only when the manuscript content is not exposed
• Editors must check with their institutional or journal contact before employing AI tools

7.2 Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers are strictly prohibited from submitting any part of the manuscript or related files to AI tools. Confidentiality and data protection apply at every step of the peer review process.

Acceptable use for reviewers includes:

• Using AI tools to refine the language of their review
• Not using AI to analyze, summarize, or generate reviewer reports from manuscript content

Reviewers remain personally responsible for the content, accuracy, and ethics of their evaluations.

 

8. Evolution of Guidelines

The field of Generative AI is rapidly evolving. Ethical and regulatory frameworks are still under development across jurisdictions and scholarly communities. “Oral and Implantology” is committed to updating its editorial policies to reflect the latest international best practices and developments.

We encourage all authors, editors, and reviewers to:

• Stay informed on AI-related ethics
• Consult relevant organizational guidance (e.g., WAME, COPE, ICMJE)
• Engage in transparent dialogue regarding the responsible integration of AI in research and publication

 

9. Summary of Key Responsibilities

Stakeholder	Permitted Use	Prohibited Use	Disclosure Required
Authors	Grammar improvement, brainstorming, reference formatting	Data generation, figure manipulation, ghostwriting entire sections	Yes
Editors	Language editing (non-confidential material)	Uploading manuscripts or images to AI tools	Yes (if applicable)
Reviewers	Review language refinement	Summarizing or evaluating manuscripts using AI	Yes (if applicable)

 

10. Final Note

“Oral and Implantology” promotes scientific innovation and the utilization of cutting-edge tools to foster excellence in research. However, this must be balanced with a strong commitment to ethical authorship, data integrity, and editorial transparency. The responsible use of AI begins with human supervision, critical thinking, and clear accountability.

For further clarification or case-specific concerns, authors and editors may contact the editorial office directly or refer to the WAME Recommendations on Chatbots and Generative AI in Scholarly Publications.