GENERATIVE AI POLICIES

1. Introduction

This policy explains when authors, editors, and peer reviewers of Jurnal Sosiologi, Antropologi, dan Budaya Nusantara may and may not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. It draws on the recommendations of STM, Elsevier, and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

SABANA recognizes that generative AI can bring benefits, such as developing ideas, supporting the research workflow and data analysis, improving the quality of writing, helping authors who write in a second language, and speeding up the dissemination of research. The policy will be revised when standards and practices change.

Definition: Generative AI refers to tools that produce text, images, audio, or synthetic data. Examples include ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, NovelAI, and Jasper AI.

The use of these tools carries the following risks.

Risk	Explanation
1. Inaccuracy and Bias	The output may be wrong, biased, or invented. Invented output is often called a hallucination.
2. Weak Attribution	The tools may not credit the ideas, quotations, and citations they draw on.
3. Confidentiality and Intellectual Property	Information that is entered into a third party platform may be exposed.
4. Unintended Secondary Use	Providers may reuse inputs and outputs, for example to train their models.

2. Policy at a Glance

Use of Generative AI	Status	Condition
Improving grammar, language, and readability, and translating the authors' own text	✓ Allowed	The authors verify the output and disclose the use.
Generating ideas, searching and categorizing literature, and supporting coding	✓ Allowed	The authors verify the output and disclose the use.
Studying AI tools, or using them in a study, an intervention, or a research instrument	✓ Allowed	The use is described in the Research Method.
Listing an AI tool as an author	✗ Not allowed	No exceptions.
Submitting AI text or code that has not been reviewed and edited	✗ Not allowed	No exceptions.
Replacing missing empirical data with synthetic data	✗ Not allowed	Only a sound method that is clearly described in the Research Method may be used.
Creating or altering images, figures, or original research data	✗ Not allowed	No exceptions.
Citing references generated by AI that have not been verified	✗ Not allowed	Every reference must be verified against the original source.
Uploading unpublished manuscripts to AI tools (editors and reviewers)	✗ Not allowed	No exceptions.
Using AI to evaluate, summarize, or assess a manuscript (reviewers)	✗ Not allowed	AI may be used only to improve the language of the review report.

3. Authors

3.1 Permitted Use

Authors may use generative AI tools to improve language and readability, to generate ideas, to search the literature interactively, to categorize the literature, and to support coding. Authors may also translate their own text, such as the abstract, but they must check the translation for accuracy.

3.2 Accountability and Human Authorship

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, and ethics of their work. They must verify all content that was prepared with the help of AI and follow the Authorship and Contributorship and Publication Ethics policies. A manuscript must be fundamentally the work of human authors, with human oversight at every stage. SABANA makes the final decision on publication.

3.3 AI Tools Cannot Be Authors

AI tools cannot take responsibility for a work, consent to its publication, or sign copyright and licensing agreements. They therefore cannot be listed as authors.

3.4 Prohibited Reliance on AI

Practice	Rule
1. Unreviewed AI Content	A manuscript must not contain AI text or code that has not been reviewed and edited by the authors.
2. Synthetic Data	A manuscript must not use synthetic data in place of missing empirical data, unless a sound method is used and clearly described.
3. Inaccurate AI Content	A manuscript must not contain inaccurate AI content, including in the abstract and in supplementary material.

These practices may lead to an editorial review or an investigation.

3.5 Images, Figures, and Data

AI tools must not be used to create or alter images, figures, or original research data that are intended for publication. This includes charts, tables, medical images, parts of images, code, and formulas. Adding, removing, hiding, or moving any element of an image is also an alteration.

3.6 References and Citations

AI tools can generate references that look realistic but do not exist. Authors must verify every reference and every DOI against the original source. Fabricated or falsified references are research misconduct under the Plagiarism and Research Integrity Policy.

3.7 Research About or Using AI Tools

Studies of the role of AI in society, culture, education, or research practice, and studies that use AI as an intervention, a research instrument, or an analysis tool, are different from the use of AI in preparing a manuscript. Authors must describe the tool, its version, how it was used, and its settings in the Research Method.

3.8 Confidentiality and Participant Data

Authors must not upload identifiable data about participants, informants, or communities, or unpublished research data such as interview transcripts and field notes, to AI tools. An exception is possible only when the consent of the participants allows it and the terms of the tool give adequate protection. Authors must confirm that those terms cover intellectual property, confidentiality, and data security.

3.9 Disclosure

Any use of generative AI in the preparation of a manuscript must be disclosed. The disclosure must give the name and version of the tool, how it was used, and the purpose of its use.

Situation	Where to Disclose
AI Was Part of the Research	Describe the use in the Research Method, for example when AI was used for coding or for categorizing the literature.
Language Editing or Translation	Describe the use in the Acknowledgments.

Example of a disclosure statement

During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name and version of the tool] to [purpose of use]. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

The place of the Research Method and of the Acknowledgments in a manuscript is explained in Manuscript Preparation.

4. Editors and Peer Reviewers

Uploading unpublished manuscripts, images, files, or related information to AI tools is prohibited, because it may breach confidentiality and the intellectual property rights of the authors.

Role	Rule
4.1 Editors	Editors must protect the confidentiality of submissions and of the review process, and must not upload unpublished material to AI platforms.
4.2 Peer Reviewers	Reviewers must not use AI to evaluate, summarize, or assess a manuscript, and must not upload unpublished content to AI tools. They may use AI only to improve the language of their own report, and they remain fully responsible for their reviews. See the Peer Review Process.

5. Handling of Violations

Suspected violations of this policy are examined under the Allegations of Misconduct policy. The outcome depends on the seriousness of the case.

Stage	Possible Outcome
Before Publication	The editors may ask the authors for clarification or revision, or may reject the manuscript.
After Publication	The editors may act under the Correction and Retraction policy.
AI Related Conflicts of Interest	These must be declared in line with the Conflicts of Interest policy.

Related Pages and Inquiries

Page	Link
Manuscript Preparation	View the Manuscript Preparation page
Author Guidelines	View the Author Guidelines
Publication Ethics	View the Publication Ethics policy
Plagiarism Policy	View the Plagiarism and Research Integrity Policy
Authorship and Contributorship	View the Authorship and Contributorship page
Peer Review Process	View the Peer Review Process