Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Usage Policy

AL MANAR: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Pendidikan Islam upholds the principles of transparency, accountability, confidentiality, and research integrity in the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), in scholarly publishing. AI tools may assist authors with language editing, grammar correction, translation, formatting, readability improvement, literature searching, coding, data processing, and analytical tasks, provided that their use is ethically appropriate, transparent where required, and subject to human verification and oversight. AI assistance must not replace the authors' independent scholarly judgment, critical analysis, interpretation, or responsibility for their research.

The journal recognizes that AI tools may be used in research related to communication, Islamic education, da'wah, digital media, religious communication, educational practices, and other subjects within its scope. Such use must not compromise the accuracy of religious references, the interpretation of Islamic texts, the integrity of empirical evidence, or the ethical treatment of research participants.

Authors are strictly prohibited from using AI tools to fabricate or falsify data, create fictitious references, manipulate research findings, generate unsupported academic claims, misrepresent analytical procedures, or produce misleading scholarly content. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, methodological validity, reliability, ethical compliance, and integrity of all submitted materials, including content produced or modified with AI assistance. All AI-assisted references, interpretations, analytical outputs, and factual claims must be independently verified by the authors.

1. Disclosure of AI Assistance

Authors must disclose material or substantive use of AI tools during manuscript preparation, research design, data processing, coding, analysis, or content development. Disclosures should identify the AI tool used, describe the purpose and extent of its use, and clarify the authors' responsibility for verifying the resulting content.

Routine spelling, grammar, and basic language corrections that do not materially alter the scholarly content ordinarily do not require disclosure. However, the use of AI to generate substantial passages of text, develop arguments, interpret findings, analyze data, or produce scholarly content must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's submission requirements.

Authors must ensure that all disclosures are accurate and comply with applicable research ethics standards. Any AI-generated content concerning Islamic teachings, religious discourse, communication practices, or educational findings must be critically evaluated against reliable sources and relevant scholarly evidence.

2. AI and Authorship

AI systems and GenAI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors in manuscripts submitted to AL MANAR: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Pendidikan Islam because they cannot make accountable intellectual contributions, approve the final manuscript, disclose competing interests, or assume responsibility for research integrity.

Authorship is restricted to human contributors who satisfy the journal's authorship criteria, approve the final version, and accept accountability for the integrity of the published work.

Authors remain responsible for all content generated or modified with AI assistance, including its originality, accuracy, appropriate attribution, methodological soundness, and compliance with publication ethics. AI tools must not be used to conceal the actual contributions of authors or other individuals involved in the research.

3. Confidentiality and Editorial Use of AI

Editors, reviewers, and editorial personnel must not upload unpublished manuscripts, confidential review reports, editorial correspondence, identifiable participant data, author information, or other privileged materials to externally operated AI systems unless expressly permitted under the journal's policy and supported by appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.

This restriction is intended to protect manuscript confidentiality, intellectual property, personal data, and the integrity of the peer-review process.

AI-assisted tools may support appropriate editorial administration and technical assessment where their use is permitted and safeguards are in place. However, AI tools must not replace independent human evaluation, expert peer review, or accountable editorial judgment. Editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of the authorized human editor.

Editors and reviewers must not use AI tools to disclose confidential information, generate unsupported evaluations, or make decisions without appropriate human assessment of the manuscript and its scholarly merits.

4. Ethical and Responsible Use of AI in Research

Authors must use AI tools responsibly and ensure that their use does not compromise research validity, participant rights, confidentiality, or scholarly transparency.

For research involving communication, Islamic education, da'wah, social media, digital religious engagement, or educational institutions, authors must critically evaluate AI-generated interpretations and outputs in light of the research design, relevant evidence, and appropriate disciplinary methods.

AI-generated summaries or interpretations of the Qur'an, Hadith, classical Islamic scholarship, religious discourse, or other authoritative sources must not be treated as substitutes for direct consultation of reliable primary and scholarly sources. Authors are responsible for checking the accuracy, context, and references of such interpretations.

Where AI tools are used to process research data, generate code, classify content, analyze communication patterns, or support qualitative or quantitative analysis, authors must explain their use when it materially affects the research methods or findings. They must also verify the validity of the outputs and accurately report the role of AI in the research process.

AI tools must not be used in ways that violate informed consent, expose sensitive personal information, misrepresent participants' statements, or undermine the ethical standards applicable to the study.

5. Suspected Misuse and Editorial Action

Suspected misuse of AI, including fabricated references, falsified or manipulated research content, undisclosed substantive AI assistance, misleading analytical claims, misrepresentation of authorship, or breaches of confidentiality, shall be assessed in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics, Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy, and other relevant editorial policies.

The editorial team shall assess credible concerns on the basis of available evidence, protect confidentiality, manage relevant competing interests, and provide affected parties with a fair opportunity to respond where appropriate.

Allegations of AI misuse shall not be treated as proven misconduct solely on the basis of automated AI-detection results or unverified claims. Any assessment must consider the available evidence, the context of the manuscript, the nature of the suspected misuse, and the author's response.

Depending on the evidence and the stage of publication, appropriate editorial actions may include requesting clarification or correction, suspending editorial assessment, rejecting a manuscript, or initiating further investigation. For published articles, the journal may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction when justified under its Publication Ethics and applicable publication-ethics guidance.

Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record rather than serve as a punishment.

6. Authors' Accountability

By submitting a manuscript to AL MANAR: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Pendidikan Islam, authors accept responsibility for ensuring that any use of AI complies with this policy and the journal's other applicable requirements.

Authors must verify the accuracy of AI-assisted content, ensure that references are authentic and relevant, disclose substantive AI assistance where required, protect confidential information, and maintain the integrity of all research procedures and findings.

The use of AI tools does not exempt authors from responsibility for plagiarism, fabricated evidence, inaccurate citations, ethical violations, or other forms of research and publication misconduct.

The journal may periodically review this policy in response to developments in AI technology, scholarly publishing practices, research ethics, and applicable legal requirements.

This policy should be read together with the journal's Publication Ethics, Plagiarism Policy, Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, and Author Guidelines