Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy — Novela Journal of English Education, Technology and Innovation (NEETI)

Novela Journal of English Education, Technology and Innovation (NEETI) recognizes the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in scientific research, language education, educational technology, and scholarly writing. As a journal covering English education, English Language Teaching (ELT), educational technology, artificial intelligence, language pedagogy, language assessment, digital learning, and educational innovation, NEETI establishes clear guidelines for authors, reviewers, and editors to ensure transparency, accountability, responsible use of AI, and ethical integrity throughout the publication process.

1. Guidelines for Authors

• Authorship Eligibility: AI tools, Large Language Models (LLMs), or generative AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship implies accountability and responsibility for the research, which AI tools cannot independently accept.
• Disclosure & Transparency: If generative AI or AI-assisted technologies are used in writing, editing, data analysis, coding, translation, language improvement, instructional material development, or other substantive stages of research, authors should explicitly disclose their use in the manuscript, for example in a dedicated "Declaration of Generative AI in Writing Process" section or within the Methodology section, where appropriate.
• Responsibility for Accuracy: Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, scientific validity, ethical integrity, and appropriate citation of all content in their manuscript, including any AI-assisted text, figures, code, analyses, translations, instructional materials, or references.
• Research Subject Exception: When AI algorithms, models, or AI-based technologies are the primary subject of empirical research or a novel contribution in English education, language learning, assessment, or educational technology, their application, methodology, data sources, limitations, and evaluation procedures must be appropriately described in the manuscript.

2. Guidelines for Reviewers

• Confidentiality Protection: Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts, abstracts, unpublished research data, student data, assessment materials, or substantial parts of a manuscript into external AI tools or LLMs. Doing so may compromise author confidentiality and research data privacy.
• AI-Generated Review Reports: Reviewers should not use AI tools to automatically generate or replace their independent peer-review reports and evaluations. Peer review requires independent, critical, and expert assessment of the submitted manuscript.
• Detection & Reporting: Reviewers are encouraged to alert the editorial team if they identify suspected undisclosed or inappropriate use of generative AI that may affect the originality, integrity, reliability, or ethical quality of a submitted manuscript.

3. Guidelines for Editors

• Confidential Editorial Decisions: Editors must maintain strict confidentiality and should not upload manuscript data, unpublished research findings, participant information, or confidential editorial materials into generative AI systems for evaluation, summarizing, or decision-making.
• Editorial Oversight: Editors are responsible for evaluating disclosures provided by authors regarding the use of AI-assisted technologies and for ensuring that such use is consistent with the journal's publication ethics, research integrity, and transparency requirements.
• Handling Misconduct: Undisclosed or inappropriate use of generative AI, particularly where it affects research integrity, authorship, originality, confidentiality, or publication ethics, may be treated as a publication ethics concern and handled in accordance with applicable COPE guidelines.

4. AI in Research & Language Education

NEETI welcomes research investigating the use of artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies in English education, language learning, English Language Teaching (ELT), language assessment, educational technology, and related areas. Authors conducting such research are expected to clearly describe the AI system, model, tool, or technology used and explain its role within the research process.

• AI System Identification: Where relevant, authors should identify the AI tool, model, or system used, including its version or relevant technical characteristics.
• Research Methodology: The manuscript should explain how AI was incorporated into data collection, analysis, language learning activities, assessment, instructional design, or other research procedures.
• Limitations & Evaluation: Authors should discuss relevant limitations, potential biases, reliability considerations, and ethical implications associated with the use of AI in the research context.

Artificial Intelligence Policy Statement — Novela Journal of English Education, Technology and Innovation (NEETI)