When AI materially contributes to work you submit or publish, check the rules of the relevant journal, employer, funder, or publisher and disclose the use when those rules require it. In every case, you remain responsible for the final work: verify its claims and sources, protect confidential information, and describe AI’s contribution honestly.
Why honesty in AI-assisted work starts with human accountability
An AI tool cannot take responsibility for accuracy, integrity, or originality. The human author or submitter remains accountable for the work, including material drafted or analyzed with AI assistance. The International Labour Organization’s research guide puts it plainly: “Authorship is a human responsibility.” ILO research guide
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This is an ethical and process principle, not a claim that every private use of AI must be announced. Disclosure expectations depend on the setting and the applicable policy. Scholarly publication norms, workplace rules, and legal obligations are related but distinct.
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When should you disclose AI assistance?
There is no single threshold shared by every organization. Check the instructions that govern the specific work: a journal’s submission guidance, an employer’s AI policy, a funder’s terms, or a publisher’s rules. If the policy is unclear, ask the responsible editor, supervisor, or administrator before submission.
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| Use of AI | Practical approach |
|---|---|
| Basic spelling or grammar correction | Some publication policies exclude routine tools from disclosure. JAMA Network says its manuscript-preparation guidance does not cover basic grammar, spelling, reference-checking, and similar tools. Do not assume that exception applies elsewhere; check the venue’s policy. JAMA Network guidance |
| Drafting, rewriting, translation, or substantial language refinement | Check the relevant policy and disclose when required. Say which part was affected and what the tool did; do not present generated wording as unaided work if the rules require disclosure. |
| Summarizing sources, generating analysis or code, or producing images | Describe the task and affected content. For research, include enough detail about use and validation to meet applicable reporting or reproducibility requirements. |
| AI use in a journal submission | Follow the journal’s instructions. In medical-journal guidance, ICMJE recommends disclosing AI use at submission and describing it in the cover letter and submitted work as appropriate. ICMJE recommendations |
These examples are not a universal ranking of uses by importance. A venue may define its own disclosure threshold, and its current instructions take precedence.
What should an AI disclosure say?
A useful disclosure lets a reader or editor understand what the tool contributed and what a person checked. The CDC’s scientific-work guidance recommends this structure: “Content Affected + Action Taken + AI Tool + Purpose of AI Use + Human Oversight.” It also says to identify the platform and model or version, explain where it was used and the extent of oversight, and place the disclosure where the organization requests—for example, in methods, acknowledgments, or a cover letter. CDC guidance, May 28, 2026
Use a statement tailored to the actual work, such as:
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Replace each bracketed phrase with accurate details, and omit any check you did not perform. Some venues request additional details: JAMA Network’s guidance for AI used in manuscript preparation asks for the tool name, version, manufacturer, dates of use, how and where it was used, and confirmation of author responsibility. That is JAMA Network’s policy guidance, not a universal format. JAMA Network guidance
How to check AI-assisted work before submitting it
- Confirm the rules. Read the current instructions for the journal, publisher, employer, or funder responsible for the work. Check where and how a disclosure must be provided.
- Verify claims against reliable sources. Check factual statements, quotations, and references against the original material. An AI-generated citation is not proof that a source exists or supports the claim.
- Keep primary sources primary. ICMJE says, “Referencing AI-generated material as the primary source is not acceptable.” Cite the original source for a factual claim rather than treating generated output as evidence. ICMJE recommendations
- Review the affected content yourself. Check whether the AI output changed meaning, omitted relevant context, introduced unsupported claims, or reproduced material that needs attribution. For generated code, images, or other research outputs, apply suitable validation and reporting practices.
- Protect information before using a tool. Do not enter sensitive, protected, or other non-public information into public AI tools. Follow your organization’s data-handling and security rules. CDC guidance, May 28, 2026
- Describe your oversight precisely. State what you actually reviewed or tested. A disclosure is not a substitute for verification, and it should not suggest checks that were never done.
Scholarly standards, workplace policies, and law are different
Journal and publisher requirements
Publication guidance varies. ICMJE’s recommendations apply in the medical-journal context and call for disclosure at submission and description in the cover letter and submitted work as appropriate. They also state that AI tools should not be authors because they cannot accept responsibility for accuracy, integrity, and originality. Nondisclosure may require correction and may be treated as misconduct in some circumstances. Consult the current requirements of the journal handling your submission. ICMJE recommendations
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The ILO guide likewise treats authorship as a human responsibility and calls for explicit disclosure of AI use in manuscripts and appropriate acknowledgment of material contributions. Its model wording is an example, not a mandatory formula for every venue. ILO research guide
EU AI Act transparency obligations
Legal duties have defined scopes; they do not amount to a blanket requirement to label every piece of private AI-assisted writing. As of the European Commission page accessed October 8, 2026, Article 50 transparency obligations apply from August 2, 2026. The Commission describes obligations involving deepfakes and AI-generated or manipulated text publications informing the public on matters of public interest, with an exception for text that has undergone human review and is subject to editorial responsibility. The page distinguishes the Article 50 legal requirements from its voluntary Code of Practice, which helps signatories demonstrate compliance. European Commission: EU AI Act transparency guidance
The legal scope and implementation guidance can change. If a legal duty may apply to your work, consult current official guidance or qualified legal advice rather than treating a general ethics checklist as a legal determination.
A practical standard for responsible AI-assisted work
Be transparent where the rules require it, make material contributions understandable, and retain human responsibility for the finished work. The right disclosure is specific to the work and venue: name the tool and task when requested, identify the affected content, and report the review or validation you actually performed.
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