Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

MACCA: Journal of Education, Language, and Culture recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI technologies can support scholarly research and academic writing. However, their use must remain consistent with principles of academic integrity, transparency, authorship, and research responsibility.

Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted tools for limited and appropriate purposes, such as language improvement, grammar correction, translation assistance, formatting support, or other forms of editorial assistance.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scholarly content of their manuscripts. AI-generated or AI-assisted content must be carefully reviewed and verified by the authors.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate or manipulate data, results, references, citations, research participants, images, or other scholarly evidence.

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for the content, research integrity, or publication obligations of an article.

Where AI has been used substantially in the development of the manuscript beyond routine language or formatting assistance, authors should transparently disclose its use in an appropriate statement within the manuscript.

AI and Research Data

Authors must not upload confidential, private, proprietary, unpublished, or personally identifiable research data to external AI systems unless they have appropriate authorization and adequate data protection measures.

AI Use by Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. They should not upload manuscripts, substantial portions of manuscripts, reviewer reports, or confidential editorial information into generative AI systems unless the use is expressly permitted and appropriate safeguards are in place.

Reviewers and editors remain responsible for their own assessments and decisions and must disclose any relevant use of AI where required by the journal.

Editorial Responsibility

The use of AI does not transfer responsibility for a manuscript from the authors to an AI system. Authors remain accountable for all claims, interpretations, citations, data, and conclusions presented in their work.