AI Policy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

PIETAS: Jurnal Studi Agama dan Lintas Budaya (Journal of Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies) recognizes the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted technologies in academic research, writing, translation, data analysis, and scholarly publishing.

PIETAS permits the responsible use of AI technologies when they support, rather than replace, human intellectual contribution, critical reasoning, scholarly judgment, ethical responsibility, and accountability.

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, and editors and aims to promote transparency, originality, research integrity, confidentiality, respect for religious and cultural diversity, and responsible use of artificial intelligence throughout the publication process.

AI Use by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies for limited purposes, including language improvement, grammar correction, translation assistance, readability improvement, manuscript organization, or other appropriate technical support.

However, AI-generated content must not replace the authors' own:

  • scholarly analysis;
  • critical reasoning;
  • theoretical or theological interpretation;
  • interpretation of religious texts, traditions, or cultural practices;
  • analysis of qualitative, ethnographic, historical, or textual data;
  • cross-cultural interpretation; and
  • original intellectual contribution.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, scholarly validity, ethical appropriateness, and integrity of all submitted content.

AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because authorship requires intellectual contribution, accountability, approval of the final manuscript, and responsibility for published work.

Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must disclose substantial use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies when such tools are used for manuscript development, analysis, interpretation, translation, or substantial revision.

The disclosure should include:

  • the name of the AI tool or service;
  • the purpose of its use; and
  • the extent of human verification, review, and editing.

Where applicable, authors may include the following statement before the References section:

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [name of AI tool/service] for [purpose]. The author(s) reviewed, verified, and edited the generated content and take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, interpretation, and integrity of the final manuscript.

Basic use of digital tools for spelling correction, grammar checking, formatting, or reference management generally does not require disclosure.

AI as Part of Research Methodology

When AI technologies form part of the research methodology, including machine learning, natural language processing, computational analysis, automated translation, or generative AI analysis, authors must describe their use transparently in the Methods section.

Authors should explain:

  • the AI tool, model, or system used;
  • its purpose within the research;
  • the data or input processed;
  • analytical or prompting procedures where relevant;
  • validation and verification procedures;
  • human supervision and interpretation processes;
  • limitations and potential biases; and
  • ethical, privacy, and cultural considerations.

Accuracy and Verification

Authors must independently verify all AI-assisted content before submission.

AI-generated information may contain inaccuracies, fabricated references, bias, or misleading interpretations. Authors are responsible for verifying:

  • factual statements;
  • historical information;
  • quotations;
  • translations;
  • religious texts and references;
  • theological interpretations;
  • cultural representations;
  • research data; and
  • academic references.

AI, Religious Texts, and Cultural Materials

Special caution is required when AI is used to translate, summarize, interpret, or analyze religious texts, sacred writings, historical manuscripts, theological documents, oral traditions, or culturally significant materials.

AI-generated interpretations or translations must not be presented as authoritative without appropriate scholarly verification.

AI and Research Integrity

The use of AI to fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or misrepresent scholarly evidence is strictly prohibited.

Prohibited practices include:

  • fabricating research participants or informants;
  • creating false interviews, quotations, or field notes;
  • inventing references, historical sources, communities, or traditions;
  • falsifying research data;
  • presenting AI-generated material as authentic field evidence;
  • using AI to conceal plagiarism; and
  • misrepresenting AI-generated content as original scholarly evidence.

AI-Generated Images, Figures, and Multimedia

Authors must disclose the use of AI when generating or substantially modifying images, figures, maps, audio, video, illustrations, or other multimedia materials included in manuscripts.

AI-generated materials must not be presented as authentic documentation of religious ceremonies, sacred sites, cultural practices, historical events, communities, fieldwork, archival materials, or research evidence unless they represent genuine documented sources.

Privacy, Religious Identity, and Sensitive Data

Authors must exercise particular caution when using AI systems with information related to religion, belief, ethnicity, culture, community membership, or other sensitive data.

Confidential or personally identifiable information must not be uploaded to public AI systems without appropriate authorization, consent, ethical approval, and data protection safeguards.

This includes:

  • religious affiliation;
  • personal testimonies;
  • interview transcripts;
  • confidential field notes;
  • identifiable photographs or recordings;
  • information about vulnerable communities; and
  • sacred or culturally restricted knowledge.

AI Use by Reviewers

Submitted manuscripts are confidential documents. Reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts, research data, supplementary materials, or confidential reviewer materials into external AI systems where confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property protection, or data security cannot be guaranteed.

AI tools must not replace independent scholarly evaluation. Reviewers remain fully responsible for their assessments, comments, and recommendations.

AI Use by Editors

Editors must protect manuscript confidentiality, intellectual property, and sensitive scholarly information.

Unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, research data, and confidential editorial materials must not be uploaded into public AI systems for editorial decision-making.

Editorial decisions must remain under human responsibility and must be based on scholarly quality, peer-review outcomes, ethical compliance, and relevance to PIETAS aims and scope.

Violations of AI Policy

Failure to disclose significant AI use, fabrication of AI-generated information, misuse of confidential data, or misrepresentation of AI-generated materials may constitute a violation of PIETAS Publication Ethics.

Depending on the severity of the violation, PIETAS may:

  • request clarification or revision;
  • reject the manuscript;
  • issue corrections;
  • publish an expression of concern;
  • retract published articles; or
  • take other appropriate actions according to publication ethics standards.

Policy Updates

PIETAS may periodically update this AI Policy to reflect developments in artificial intelligence technology, scholarly publishing practices, research integrity standards, privacy protection, and responsible academic communication.