The Pakistan Journal of Nutrition (PJN) recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies can support certain aspects of research and scholarly communication. Their use, however, must not compromise the accuracy, originality, transparency, confidentiality, or integrity of submitted or published work.

Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies, including large language models, chatbots, and other generative AI tools, for appropriate purposes during manuscript preparation. Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to the journal, regardless of whether AI-assisted technologies were used.

Authors must carefully review and verify any AI-assisted output for accuracy, completeness, bias, appropriate attribution, and consistency with the underlying research. AI-generated information must not be presented as verified scientific evidence without appropriate validation.

Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies when such tools have contributed to the preparation or development of submitted work. The disclosure should identify the tool used and briefly describe how it was used.

When AI is used for writing assistance or substantial language generation, the use should be disclosed in an appropriate statement in the manuscript. When AI is used as part of the research methodology, including data collection, data analysis, image generation, modeling, or other research procedures, its use should be described in sufficient detail in the Materials and Methods section to permit appropriate evaluation of the work.

Routine tools used solely for basic spelling, grammar, or reference formatting do not normally require a separate AI disclosure unless their use materially affects the content of the manuscript.

AI and Authorship

AI systems, large language models, chatbots, and other AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship requires human responsibility and accountability for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and conclusions of the work, responsibilities that cannot be assigned to an AI system.

Human authors are responsible for all AI-assisted content included in a submission and must ensure that the manuscript complies with the journal's Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

Accuracy, References, and Originality

Authors are responsible for verifying all facts, interpretations, calculations, references, and citations included in their manuscript. AI-generated references or citations must not be included unless the authors have verified that the cited sources exist, are accurate, and appropriately support the statements for which they are cited.

Authors must ensure that the use of AI does not result in plagiarism, inappropriate paraphrasing, copyright infringement, fabricated information, fabricated references, or misrepresentation of existing research.

AI in Nutrition and Health Research

When AI-assisted methods are used to analyze nutritional, dietary, clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, or other scientific data, authors must provide sufficient methodological information to allow editors, reviewers, and readers to understand how the technology contributed to the research.

Authors remain responsible for validating AI-assisted analyses and interpretations. AI-generated dietary, nutritional, or health-related conclusions must not replace appropriate scientific analysis, professional judgment, or validation of the underlying evidence.

AI-Generated or AI-Modified Images and Data

AI tools must not be used to fabricate, falsify, or misleadingly alter research data, results, figures, photographs, or other scientific records. Any legitimate use of AI for image generation, image processing, data analysis, or visualization that forms part of the research must be transparently described in the manuscript where relevant.

Adjustments or processing must not obscure, remove, introduce, or misrepresent scientifically relevant information.

Use of AI by Peer Reviewers

Manuscripts submitted to PJN are confidential. Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, figures, supplementary files, unpublished data, or other confidential submission materials to external AI systems where confidentiality, data security, and appropriate handling of the submitted material cannot be assured.

Reviewers who wish to use an AI-assisted technology in connection with a review must comply with the journal's requirements and obtain permission from the journal when required. Any permitted use of AI must not replace the reviewer's own critical evaluation, judgment, or responsibility for the review.

Use of AI by Editors

Editors and editorial staff must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not upload confidential manuscript content to external AI systems where confidentiality cannot be assured.

AI-assisted technologies may support appropriate administrative or editorial tasks, but final editorial decisions must remain under human responsibility. AI must not independently determine whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected.

Confidentiality and Personal Data

Authors, reviewers, and editors must exercise particular care when using AI systems with confidential, unpublished, proprietary, personal, clinical, or participant-related information. Such information must not be entered into external AI systems in a manner that violates ethical approval, informed consent, confidentiality obligations, privacy requirements, or applicable law.

Undisclosed or Inappropriate Use of AI

If the journal identifies potentially inappropriate or undisclosed use of AI, it may request an explanation, disclosure, original data, source materials, or other relevant documentation. Manuscripts may be returned for correction, rejected, or otherwise addressed in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies when AI use compromises the integrity, originality, reliability, or transparency of the work.

If a significant issue involving AI use is identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate post-publication action in accordance with its policies on corrections and retractions.