AI Tool Policy

AI Usage Policy for Authors, Editors, and Reviewers

Beginning with Volume 2, Issue 2 (2026), the International Journal of Constitutional and Administrative Law (IJCAL) formally implements a policy governing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript preparation, submission, editorial assessment, and peer-review processes. This policy is established to ensure academic integrity, transparency, originality, confidentiality, and accountability in scholarly publishing.

IJCAL recognizes that AI tools may support academic writing, particularly in language refinement, grammar correction, and improvement of manuscript readability. However, AI tools must not replace the intellectual contribution, legal reasoning, normative analysis, comparative interpretation, or original argumentation of the author. All authors, editors, and reviewers are therefore required to comply with the following standards.

For Authors

Authors are permitted to use AI tools only as supporting instruments in the preparation of manuscripts. Any use of AI tools must be disclosed transparently at the time of submission.

Manuscripts submitted to IJCAL will only be considered for publication if the result of AI-generated content detection does not exceed 20%. To ensure compliance with this policy, authors are required to:

  1. Submit evidence of AI-generated content detection result; and
  2. Complete and upload the Declaration of Manuscript Eligibility Regarding AI Use.

In the declaration form, authors must clearly identify any AI tools used during the preparation of the manuscript, including the purpose and scope of their use. Failure to disclose the use of AI tools, or the submission of manuscripts that exceed the permitted AI-generated content threshold, may result in rejection at any stage of the editorial or peer-review process.

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, citation integrity, and scholarly quality of their manuscripts, regardless of whether AI tools were used.

Permitted Uses of AI Tools

AI tools may be used by authors only for limited and assistive purposes, including:

  1. Proofreading and Language Editing
    AI tools may be used to correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and academic style, particularly for improving clarity and readability.
  2. Improvement of Coherence and Readability
    AI tools may assist authors in improving paragraph flow, sentence cohesion, and textual clarity, provided that the substance, argument, analysis, and conclusions remain entirely under the author’s intellectual responsibility.
  3. Summarization for Preliminary Assistance
    AI tools may be used to assist in summarizing the author’s own notes or previously verified materials. However, any summary included in the manuscript must be carefully reviewed, corrected, and supported by proper academic references.
  4. Translation Assistance
    AI tools may be used to assist with translation or language conversion, provided that the final manuscript is carefully checked by the author to ensure terminological accuracy, legal precision, and contextual appropriateness.

Prohibited Uses of AI Tools

The following uses of AI tools are strictly prohibited:

  1. Full or Substantial Manuscript Generation
    Authors are not permitted to generate the entirety or substantial parts of the manuscript using AI tools in a manner that replaces the author’s original scholarly contribution, legal analysis, or normative reasoning.
  2. Generation of Legal Arguments Without Verification
    AI tools must not be used to produce legal arguments, doctrinal interpretations, comparative legal analysis, or constitutional reasoning without rigorous verification by the author.
  3. AI-Generated Research Data or Fabricated Sources
    Authors are prohibited from using AI tools to generate or fabricate research data, legal cases, statutes, references, quotations, tables, figures, or bibliographic sources.
  4. Unverified AI Output
    Authors must not insert AI-generated text into the manuscript without careful verification, correction, adaptation, and proper citation where necessary.
  5. Misrepresentation of Authorship
    AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship is limited to individuals who make substantive intellectual contributions and assume responsibility for the manuscript.

For Editors

Editors of IJCAL must uphold the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and protect the intellectual property rights and data privacy of authors. In conducting editorial duties, editors are required to observe the following principles:

  1. Editors must not upload manuscripts, either in whole or in part, to any AI tool for the purpose of evaluating scholarly quality, determining editorial decisions, assessing legal arguments, or judging the originality of the manuscript.
  2. Editors must not use AI tools to translate, paraphrase, summarize, or process confidential manuscript content where such use may expose the manuscript to third-party platforms or external systems.
  3. If an AI-generated content detection check is necessary, editors must ensure that only secure, reliable, and journal-approved detection tools are used.
  4. Editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of the editors and must not be delegated to AI systems.
  5. Editors must ensure that AI-related assessments are used only as supporting indicators and not as the sole basis for accepting, rejecting, or requesting revision of a manuscript.

For Reviewers

Reviewers are required to maintain strict confidentiality throughout the peer-review process. Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must not be shared with unauthorized parties or uploaded to AI tools.

Reviewers must comply with the following standards:

  1. Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, whether in full or in part, to any AI tool for the purpose of evaluating content, generating review comments, summarizing arguments, checking originality, or assisting in recommendation decisions.
  2. Reviewers must not use AI tools to translate, paraphrase, edit, or process the manuscript because such use may compromise confidentiality, intellectual property rights, and the integrity of the peer-review process.
  3. Reviewers may use AI tools only for limited assistance in improving the grammar or clarity of their own review comments, provided that no part of the manuscript’s content is disclosed to the AI tool.
  4. Reviewers remain fully responsible for the independence, accuracy, originality, fairness, and scholarly quality of their review reports.
  5. Any suspected misuse of AI tools by authors should be reported to the editorial office with clear and objective reasoning.

Responsibility and Sanctions

IJCAL reserves the right to request additional clarification, supporting documents, or revised declarations from authors where AI use is suspected but not properly disclosed. If authors are found to have violated this policy, the journal may take appropriate editorial actions, including:

  1. Returning the manuscript for correction;
  2. Requesting a formal explanation from the author;
  3. Rejecting the manuscript during editorial screening or peer review;
  4. Withdrawing acceptance if the violation is discovered before publication; or
  5. Issuing correction, expression of concern, or retraction if the violation is discovered after publication.

This policy forms part of IJCAL’s broader commitment to publication ethics, academic integrity, responsible authorship, and transparent scholarly communication in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, public law, and comparative legal studies