Generative AI Policy

Geo Media: Majalah Ilmiah dan Informasi Kegeografian recognises that generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, and DeepL Write, can support scholarly work. These tools also carry risks, including false information, fabricated references, and bias. This policy explains how authors, reviewers, and editors may use them responsibly. It follows the COPE position statement on authorship and AI tools and will be updated as practice develops.

In brief: AI may assist your work but cannot replace you. Authors remain fully accountable. AI cannot be an author. Every use must be disclosed. Never upload unpublished manuscripts or confidential data to AI tools.

For Authors

Responsibility and authorship

  • Authors are fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of the whole manuscript, including any part produced with AI assistance.
  • Check every AI output against the original sources before using it.
  • AI tools must not be listed as an author or co-author, because they cannot take responsibility for the work.

✔ Permitted (with disclosure)

  • Brainstorming ideas and outlining.
  • Improving language, grammar, and readability.
  • Translating your own text, if you check the result carefully.
  • Finding and sorting literature, if every source is verified.
  • Coding help, for example GIS, remote sensing, or statistical scripts (Python, R, Google Earth Engine), if the code is tested and validated.
  • Drawing conceptual diagrams and flowcharts from accurate data.

✘ Not permitted

  • Submitting AI-generated text as your own analysis or argument without thorough revision.
  • Generating, altering, or inventing data, results, interview quotations, or field notes.
  • Generating references. Every reference must be a real source you have read.
  • Creating or manipulating maps, satellite imagery, GIS outputs, or field photographs presented as research data.
  • Uploading confidential or identifiable respondent data to AI tools without consent and ethical approval.

Disclosure

Add a Declaration of Generative AI Use at the end of the manuscript, before the References. State:

  • the name and version of the tool;
  • how and why it was used, and which sections were affected;
  • how you reviewed and verified the output.

If you did not use AI, write: "The authors did not use generative AI tools in the preparation of this manuscript." Spelling and grammar checkers and reference managers (Mendeley, Zotero) do not need to be declared.

Example: "During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used ChatGPT (GPT-4o, OpenAI) to improve the language of the Introduction and Discussion sections. The authors reviewed and edited all output and take full responsibility for the content. No AI tools were used to generate data, analyse data, or produce references."

For Reviewers

  • Do not upload the manuscript, or any part of it (text, figures, tables, maps, supplementary files), to AI tools. This breaches the authors' confidentiality.
  • Do not use AI to analyse, summarise, or write your review. You may use it only to improve the language of a review you wrote yourself, without entering any manuscript content.
  • If you suspect undisclosed AI use (for example fabricated references), report it to the editor in the confidential comments instead of accusing the authors in the review.

For Editors

  • Keep submissions and review information confidential. Do not upload manuscripts, reviews, or decision letters to AI tools.
  • Editorial decisions are made by human editors, not by AI.
  • Only tools approved by the journal may be used, for tasks such as similarity checking or reference validation.
  • AI-detection results are not proof. Authors are given the chance to explain before any action is taken.

If This Policy Is Breached

  • Undisclosed but acceptable use: the authors add a declaration before publication, or a corrigendum is published afterwards.
  • Prohibited use: the manuscript is rejected, or the published article is corrected or retracted, in line with the journal's publication ethics.
  • Breach by a reviewer or editor: the review is disregarded and the person may be removed from the reviewer database or editorial board.
Questions? Contact the editorial office at geomedia@uny.ac.id.

Reference

Committee on Publication Ethics. (2023). Authorship and AI tools: COPE position statement. https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author