Appendix to Ordinance No. 70/2024 of the Rector of UKSW of 8 November 2024

Last updated: 2026-06-05

Policy on the Use of AI Tools

Guidelines for Authors

This Policy applies to publications of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University Publishing House in Warsaw (UKSW Publishing House) and to journals published by the UKSW Publishing House. It concerns the use of AI tools, including content generators, during the process of writing scholarly texts. However, it does not cover the use of AI tools for the analysis and interpretation of data within the research process.

If authors use content generators or other AI-assisted tools during the writing process, such tools should be used solely to improve the readability and language of the work. The use of content generators must remain under human supervision, and authors should carefully review and edit the output, since content generators may produce authoritative-sounding statements that are incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Authors remain ultimately responsible for the content of the work.

Authors should disclose in their manuscript the use of content generators and other AI-assisted tools. An appropriate statement should be included in the publication. Disclosure of such use supports transparency and trust among authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and contributors and facilitates compliance with the terms of use of the relevant tool.

Authors must not list content generators or other AI-assisted tools as authors or co-authors, nor cite a content generator as an author. Authorship carries responsibilities and obligations that can only be assigned to and fulfilled by humans.

Each author and co-author is responsible for ensuring that any questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Authorship also requires the ability to approve the final version of the work and consent to its submission.

Authors are also responsible for ensuring that the work is original, that all listed authors meet the criteria for authorship, and that the work does not infringe the rights of third parties. Authors should also familiarise themselves with the Publishing Ethics Policy before submitting their work.

Content generators and other AI-assisted tools must not be used to create or modify images in submitted manuscripts. Such use could involve enhancing, moving, removing, or introducing specific features within an image or figure.

Adjustments concerning brightness, contrast, or colour balance are permissible, provided that they do not obscure or remove any information contained in the original. Forensic image analysis tools or specialist software may be used in submitted manuscripts in order to detect suspicious irregularities in images.

The only exception applies when the use of content generators or other AI-assisted tools constitutes part of the research project or research methodology (for example, AI-based approaches to imaging intended to generate or interpret research data, such as in biomedical imaging). In such cases, this use must be described in the methods section in a manner enabling reproducibility, including an explanation of how AI systems were used in creating or modifying the image, together with the name of the model or tool, version number, and producer. Authors should comply with software-specific requirements and ensure proper attribution of content. Where appropriate, authors may be asked to provide input images and/or raw composite images used to generate the final submitted versions for editorial assessment.

The use of content generators or other AI-assisted tools for the creation of graphical materials, such as graphical abstracts, is not permitted. The use of content generators for creating cover illustrations may in some cases be permitted, provided that the author obtains prior approval from the journal editor and publisher, demonstrates that all necessary rights to the relevant material have been obtained, and ensures proper attribution of content.

Guidelines for Reviewers

Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts or any part thereof into content generators, as this may violate the confidentiality and proprietary rights of the author and, where the work contains personal data, may infringe data privacy rights.

This confidentiality requirement also applies to peer review reports, since they may contain confidential information concerning the manuscript and/or the authors. For this reason, reviewers must not upload their peer review reports into content generators, even if the purpose is solely to improve language and readability.

Peer review is a fundamental element of the scholarly system. Reviewing a scholarly manuscript involves responsibilities that can only be fulfilled by humans. Content generators and other AI-assisted tools should not be used by reviewers to support scholarly evaluation, since the critical thinking and original assessment required for peer review exceed the capabilities of such tools, and there is a risk that the outputs generated may contain incorrect, incomplete, or biased conclusions concerning the manuscript. The reviewer remains responsible for the content of the review report.

Guidelines for Editors

A submitted manuscript must be treated as a confidential document. Editors must not upload submitted manuscripts or any part thereof into content generators, as this may violate the confidentiality and proprietary rights of authors and, where the work contains personal data, may infringe data privacy rights.

The document is prepared in two language versions: Polish and English. The Polish-language version shall be considered the original and authoritative version. In the event of any discrepancies or doubts in interpretation, the Polish version shall prevail.