Statement on the Use of Generative AI (GenAI)

Ethical Publishing Policy

Hitik: International Journal of Catechists and Religious Educators recognizes the growing role of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies in academic research, scholarly writing, language enhancement, data analysis, and digital content development. At the same time, the journal remains committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, ethical publishing, and responsible scholarly communication.

Ethical Standards

The journal’s editorial policies are guided by internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and responsible scholarly practice, including ethical frameworks promoted by organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Transparency and Disclosure Requirements

In accordance with principles of transparency and research integrity, authors are required to fully disclose any use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools during the preparation, development, revision, or presentation of manuscripts submitted to the journal.

Disclosure must include the name of the tool or platform used and a clear description of how the technology contributed to the manuscript.

Examples of GenAI-assisted activities that require disclosure include, but are not limited to:

  • Language editing and grammar enhancement;
  • Drafting or summarizing text;
  • Idea organization and content restructuring;
  • Data interpretation assistance;
  • Figure, table, or image generation;
  • Translation support;
  • Research assistance and literature organization.

Author Responsibility and Accountability

Authors remain fully and solely responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, validity, and scholarly quality of all submitted materials, including any portions developed with the assistance of GenAI technologies.

The use of GenAI tools does not diminish the author’s ethical obligations regarding:

  • Academic honesty and intellectual integrity;
  • Proper citation and attribution of sources;
  • Avoidance of plagiarism and fabricated information;
  • Verification of factual accuracy and references;
  • Compliance with research ethics and publication standards.

Authors are expected to critically review and validate all AI-assisted outputs before submission, particularly because GenAI systems may generate inaccurate, misleading, fabricated, or biased information.

Limitations on Authorship

Generative Artificial Intelligence tools cannot be credited as authors or co-authors of submitted manuscripts.

Authorship requires accountability, intellectual responsibility, ethical judgment, and the capacity to approve and defend scholarly work — responsibilities that cannot be assumed by AI systems.

Accordingly:

  • GenAI systems must not appear in the list of authors;
  • AI tools cannot sign copyright agreements or conflict of interest disclosures;
  • AI-generated content remains under the full responsibility of the human author(s).

Ethical and Prohibited Uses

The journal prohibits the unethical or irresponsible use of GenAI technologies in scholarly publishing.

Prohibited practices include:

  • Undisclosed AI-generated writing or data;
  • Fabrication or falsification of research findings;
  • Manipulation of citations or references;
  • Generation of misleading images, figures, or data visualizations;
  • Submission of AI-generated content presented as entirely human-authored without disclosure;
  • Use of GenAI to circumvent ethical peer review or academic integrity standards.

Failure to disclose significant AI assistance may be considered a breach of publication ethics and may result in manuscript rejection, retraction, or other editorial actions deemed appropriate by the journal.

Use of AI by Editors and Reviewers

Editors and peer reviewers are likewise expected to exercise caution in the use of GenAI technologies during editorial and review activities.

Manuscripts under review are confidential documents. Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential manuscript files, unpublished data, or sensitive author information into publicly accessible AI platforms that may store or reuse submitted content.

Any AI-assisted editorial or review support must preserve confidentiality, impartiality, and professional ethical standards.

Policy Development and Future Revisions

Because artificial intelligence technologies continue to evolve rapidly, this policy will be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect emerging ethical concerns, international publishing standards, technological developments, and best practices in scholarly communication.

The journal reserves the right to revise its policies concerning AI-assisted research and publishing in order to maintain academic integrity, ethical transparency, and responsible scholarly practice.

Disclosure Recommendation:
Authors who use GenAI tools are encouraged to include a brief disclosure statement within the manuscript’s acknowledgments or methodology section describing the nature and extent of AI assistance used during manuscript preparation.