To uphold the highest standards of academic ethics, authorship integrity, and research transparency, Astarte: Mediterranean Journal on Gender and Sexualities establishes the following policy on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of submissions.
While we recognise that AI technologies can assist research and writing, Astarte affirms that intellectual originality, interpretation, and argumentation must remain the work of human authors. AI tools may be used to support, but never to replace, scholarly expertise and critical judgment.
Authors may use AI tools in limited and clearly defined ways that support, but do not substitute, human intellectual labour. Acceptable uses include:
Language Support: AI tools can be utilised for translation, grammar correction, and vocabulary enhancement to enhance clarity, readability, and precision of expression, particularly for authors writing in a second or third language.
Data Visualisation: Authors may use AI-assisted tools to create tables, graphs, and figures based on verified and authentic data drawn from reputable sources or the author’s own research.
Literature Summarisation: AI may be used to summarise academic sources, provided that the author personally reviews and fact-checks all summaries, consults the original texts, and ensures fidelity to the cited work.
Structural Assistance: AI tools may be used to organise material (e.g., developing outlines, section headings, or logical structures) according to disciplinary conventions.
Reference Management: AI-based bibliographic tools may assist in managing and formatting references and citations. However, authors remain responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and correct attribution of their work.
Data Synthesis: AI may assist in identifying patterns or organising data for analysis, but the author must conduct interpretation and argumentation.
The following uses of AI are strictly prohibited and may result in rejection of the submission or retraction of a published article:
Authorship Substitution: Using AI to generate substantive analysis, argumentation, or interpretation of findings.
Conclusions and Recommendations: Employing AI to write the paper’s findings, discussion, or policy recommendations.
Argument Generation: Using AI to construct the central thesis or argument of a paper.
Automated Writing: Submitting AI-generated or AI-written text as one’s own work, in whole or in part.
Data Fabrication: Generating or altering data—quantitative or qualitative—through AI systems. All data must originate from genuine research and ethically approved sources.
Citing Non-Existent Sources: Using AI-generated citations or references that cannot be independently verified. All citations must correspond to real, accessible academic sources.
Undisclosed Use of AI: Failing to disclose any use of AI tools during the research or writing process (see Disclosure Policy below).
Astarte defines authorship as an inherently human act that requires conceptual originality, analytical reasoning, and ethical accountability. AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors under any circumstances.
Transparency regarding the use of AI tools is essential for maintaining trust in scholarly communication. All authors must explicitly disclose any use of AI technologies in the preparation of their manuscript.
Authors are required to:
Acknowledge AI Use: Disclose, in the Acknowledgements section, any AI tools or software used, specifying the purpose (e.g., grammar correction, translation, data visualisation, or literature summarisation).
Methodological Transparency: If AI tools played a significant role in data processing, literature mapping, or content structuring, describe their use in the Methodology section to ensure clarity and reproducibility.
Cite Appropriately: At the sentence or paragraph level, authors should cite AI-generated content according to disciplinary style conventions. For example, the APA Style Blog provides guidance on citing ChatGPT and other AI tools (https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt).
Declare Non-Usage: If no AI tools were used, authors must include a statement in the Acknowledgements section confirming that “no artificial intelligence tools were used in the research, writing, or editing of this manuscript.”
