Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Review Process

This policy aims to provide greater transparency and guidance to authors, editors, and reviewers regarding generative AI and AI-assisted technologies. ICR Publications (ICRP) will closely monitor ongoing developments in this area and will adjust or refine the policy as appropriate. The following guidance is specifically for reviewers.

When a subject matter expert is invited to participate in the review process, the material/manuscript must be treated as confidential. Reviewers should not upload the material/manuscript or any part thereof into a generative AI tool, as this may violate ICRP’s and/or the authors’ confidentiality and proprietary rights and, where the material/manuscript contains personally identifiable information, may breach data privacy rights.

This confidentiality requirement extends to all communication about the material/manuscript, including any reviewer questionnaires, reports, or correspondence, as these may contain confidential information about the material/manuscript, ICRP, and/or the authors. For this reason, reviewers should not upload their communications or any related material into an AI tool, even if it is just for the purpose of improving language and readability.

ICRP abides by the highest standards of integrity in the review process, which implies responsibilities that can only be attributed to humans. Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies should not be used by reviewers to assist in the review of the material/manuscript, as the critical thinking and original assessment needed for review are outside the scope of this technology, and there is a risk that the technology will generate incorrect, incomplete, or biased conclusions. The reviewer is responsible and accountable for the content of the review.

ICRP’s AI policy for book authors states that authors are allowed to use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process before submission, but only to improve the language and readability of their work and with the appropriate disclosure, as per our instructions in ICRP’s Guide for Authors.

Please note that ICRP employs identity-protected AI-assisted technologies that conform to the RELX Responsible AI Principles. These in-house or licensed technologies respect confidentiality. Our programs are subject to rigorous evaluations of bias and comply with data privacy and data security requirements.