General Principle

The Bhutan Journal of Research and Development (BJRD) recognises that artificial intelligence, including generative AI tools, may assist with limited tasks such as language editing, transcription, translation, coding, formatting, data visualisation, or other forms of technical support.

Such use must be responsible, transparent, and must not compromise originality, accuracy, confidentiality, authorship, research ethics, or the integrity of the scholarly record.

Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI tools for limited assistance, such as improving grammar, editing language, organising text, formatting references, translating text, generating code, assisting with data visualisation, or supporting other technical tasks.

AI tools must not be used as a substitute for scholarly judgement, original analysis, critical interpretation, ethical responsibility, or author accountability. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, validity, and integrity of the submitted manuscript.

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools where such tools materially contributed to writing, analysis, coding, image generation, data processing, translation, or other manuscript preparation. The disclosure must identify the tool used, the purpose of use, and the extent of use.

Routine spelling, grammar, or reference-formatting assistance does not need to be disclosed unless it materially affects the scholarly content, interpretation, analysis, or presentation of the manuscript.

Suggested disclosure statement:

“The authors used [tool name] for [purpose, e.g., language editing, coding support, translation, or data visualisation]. The authors reviewed and verified all content and remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript.”

If no generative AI tool was used, authors may state:

“No generative AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.”

Author Accountability

Authors are fully responsible for verifying all facts, citations, data, analysis, interpretation, quotations, permissions, images, references, and claims included in the manuscript. AI-generated references, quotations, data, images, or claims must not be included unless they have been independently verified and properly disclosed where relevant.

Authors are also responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted content does not result in plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, misleading interpretation, copyright infringement, breach of confidentiality, or violation of research ethics.

AI and Authorship

Artificial intelligence systems, chatbots, and generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. AI tools cannot take responsibility for scholarly work, approve the final manuscript, manage conflicts of interest, or be accountable for research integrity.

Only human contributors who meet BJRD’s authorship criteria may be listed as authors. Human authors remain fully responsible for all content, including any content or assistance generated by AI tools.

Prohibited Uses

BJRD does not permit the use of AI tools for:

• fabricating or falsifying data, evidence, images, citations, sources, references, or findings;
• creating misleading, manipulated, or deceptive images, tables, figures, or text;
• generating fake reviewer identities or manipulating the peer-review process;
• misrepresenting authorship, contribution, originality, or accountability;
• submitting AI-generated text as original scholarly work without appropriate human verification and disclosure;
• creating false quotations, unverifiable sources, or inaccurate bibliographic details;
• concealing plagiarism, duplicate publication, or text recycling; or
• uploading confidential manuscript, peer-review, editorial, or participant material into public or unsecured AI systems without permission.

Use of AI by Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, review reports, decision letters, editorial correspondence, unpublished data, tables, figures, or supplementary materials into public AI tools or third-party systems that may store, reuse, or expose the content.

AI tools must not replace expert scholarly judgement. Reviewers and editors remain responsible for their own assessments, recommendations, decisions, and communications.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All submitted manuscripts, peer-review materials, editorial correspondence, author identities during double-blind review, reviewer identities, complaints, appeals, and misconduct investigations are confidential.

Any use of AI tools must preserve confidentiality, data security, intellectual property rights, participant privacy, and journal integrity. Where confidentiality, data security, or ownership cannot be assured, AI tools must not be used.