Disclosing AI use in research

The four foundational positions

ICMJE (medical journal editors' consensus)

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors clarified in 2023 (reinforced through 2025) that generative AI tools cannot be authors — they cannot take accountability for the work. Any significant AI use in manuscript preparation (drafting, editing, translation, image generation, data analysis) must be disclosed, with a detailed explanation of the purpose and extent of use. Human authors remain responsible for all content.

COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)

Authors must be transparent in the Materials and Methods section (or equivalent) about which AI tool was used and how. Listing AI as an author is prohibited.

Nature

AI tools cannot be authors. AI use is disclosed in the Methods section. AI-generated images are prohibited in Nature Portfolio journals (with narrow exceptions).

NEJM

AI disclosure required in both the cover letter and the manuscript body.

What counts as AI use that needs disclosing

Drafting or rewriting manuscript text
AI-assisted summarisation of the literature
Translation between languages
Generation of figures, illustrations, or visualisations
AI-assisted code generation for analysis
AI-assisted data analysis or hypothesis generation
AI-assisted peer review (if applicable)

What's typically exempt

Spell-checkers and grammar-checkers (Grammarly, MS Word)
Reference managers
Statistical software (R, SPSS, Stata) used in the conventional way

Sample disclosure statements

Minimum-acceptable form (writing assistance)

Methods section addition

text

During the preparation of this work the authors used [name of AI tool] for
language editing of the [section name(s)] in order to [purpose: improve readability,
shorten paragraphs, etc.]. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited
the content as needed and take full responsibility for the final published manuscript.

Substantive-use form (analysis or content generation)

Methods section addition

text

The authors used [name of AI tool, version, vendor] for [specific task: drafting,
data analysis, code generation, image generation]. Prompts and outputs are
available in the supplementary materials [reference]. All AI-generated content
was independently verified by [author initials]. The authors take full
responsibility for the final manuscript.

Where to put the disclosure

NEJM: cover letter AND manuscript body
Nature Portfolio: Methods section
Lancet, BMJ, JAMA: Methods section + Acknowledgements per ICMJE
Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, T&F: Methods or separate Disclosure section per ICMJE

Why CRediT roles don't apply to AI

CRediT is a vocabulary for contributors — agents that can be held accountable. AI tools are tools, not contributors. They cannot conceptualise, take responsibility, or be cited as authors. AI use is therefore disclosed as a separate statement, alongside (not instead of) the CRediT contributor statement.