AI use policy
Published by BDLD · ISSN (Online): 2708-6313
What authors, reviewers, and editors may and may not do with AI tools when preparing or handling a manuscript.
Permitted uses
- Language editing, proofreading, and grammar correction.
- Literature searches and preliminary research assistance.
- Formatting assistance, including citation formatting.
- Drafting assistance, provided the author reviews and takes ownership of the resulting text.
Prohibited uses
- Generating data, case citations, or sources that do not exist.
- Writing substantive legal analysis or argument presented as the author’s own reasoning without disclosure.
- Using AI tools to conduct peer review on behalf of a named reviewer.
- Submitting AI output without verifying the accuracy of every citation and factual claim.
Disclosure requirements
Authors must disclose any AI use beyond light copyediting in a statement accompanying the submission, naming the tool and describing what it was used for (for example, “ChatGPT was used to check citation formatting” or “Grammarly was used for language editing”). Reviewers and editors likewise disclose any AI assistance used in preparing a review or editorial decision.
Authorship rules
AI tools cannot be listed as an author or co-author, and cannot hold copyright. Authorship requires the capacity to take responsibility for the work, which an AI tool cannot do.
The human author is fully responsible for every claim, citation, and argument in the manuscript, regardless of what tools were used to help produce it.
Editorial verification
Where AI use is disclosed, the Editorial Board may ask the author to verify specific citations or claims before proceeding to review. Manuscripts found to contain fabricated citations or unverifiable claims are rejected; if discovered after publication, they are corrected or retracted under the Publication Ethics policy.