Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to the British Journal of Business Sciences, published by Meta Open Sciences.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools—including but not limited to large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and other generative AI systems—in academic writing and research is increasing rapidly. Meta Open Sciences acknowledges the potential benefits of AI tools in supporting scholarly communication while emphasizing the fundamental principles of research integrity, transparency, originality, and author accountability.

This policy is guided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) position statement on Authorship and AI Tools and reflects ethical standards expected by international indexing databases, including Scopus.

1. Authorship and Accountability

Artificial intelligence tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors under any circumstances. Authorship entails intellectual contribution, accountability for the content, and responsibility for copyright and licensing agreements—functions that AI tools cannot fulfill.

All listed human authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript, including any text, analyses, tables, figures, or other content generated or assisted by AI tools.

2. Permissible Use of AI Tools

Authors may use AI tools to assist with limited aspects of manuscript preparation—such as language editing, grammar correction, formatting support, or preliminary data handling—provided that such use does not compromise the originality or scientific validity of the work.

AI tools must not be used to generate original research ideas, fabricate data, manipulate results, falsify findings, or replace critical scholarly judgment.

3. Disclosure and Transparency

Any use of AI tools during the research or manuscript preparation process must be clearly and transparently disclosed by the authors.

Disclosure must include:

• The name and version of the AI tool used;
• The purpose for which the tool was used;
• The extent and nature of the AI tool’s contribution.

Such disclosure should be included in the Methods section, Acknowledgements, or a dedicated AI Use Statement within the manuscript.

4. Ethical Use and Data Protection

Authors must ensure that the use of AI tools complies with ethical research standards, including the protection of confidential, proprietary, or personally identifiable information. Sensitive data must not be uploaded to AI tools in violation of data protection, institutional, or legal requirements.

All AI-assisted outputs must be carefully reviewed and verified by the authors to prevent inaccuracies, bias, plagiarism, or ethical breaches.

5. Editorial Oversight and Enforcement

The editors of the British Journal of Business Sciences and Meta Open Sciences reserve the right to request clarification regarding AI use and to take appropriate editorial action—including rejection, withdrawal, or retraction—if undisclosed, inappropriate, or unethical use of AI tools is identified at any stage of the publication process.

Failure to disclose the use of AI tools constitutes a breach of publication ethics and will be addressed in accordance with COPE guidelines.

6. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect developments in AI technologies, ethical standards, and indexing requirements. Submission of a manuscript implies that the authors have read, understood, and agreed to comply with this policy.