Use of Artificial Intelligence

The SAPS acknowledges the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic research and manuscript preparation. To ensure transparency, accountability, and academic integrity, authors must adhere to the following guidelines regarding the use of generative AI technologies (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, SciNote, etc.):

Permitted Use of AI Tools
Authors may use AI tools to assist with the following non-intellectual tasks, provided their use is declared:
• Grammar, spelling, and language editing (e.g., Grammarly)
• Formatting references, citations, or headings
• Preliminary summarization or paraphrasing for internal understanding (must not be copied verbatim)
• Figure labelling or simple data visualization (e.g., chart formatting)
Important: The use of AI tools must be limited to assisting human authors. AI should not be credited as an author or co-author.

Prohibited Use of AI Tools
The SAPS uses AI detection software to detect AI-generated texts. The following uses of AI are not acceptable:
• Generating scientific content, results, or data for submission
• Drafting entire sections of the manuscript (e.g., Introduction, Results, Discussion) without critical human oversight
• Using AI tools to interpret, analyze, or validate experimental results
• Submitting AI-generated content without proper verification or attribution
• Using AI to bypass plagiarism detection tools or generate manipulated responses
Submissions that heavily rely on unverified AI-generated content may be rejected, retracted, or flagged for potential misconduct.

Disclosure of AI Use (Mandatory if Used)
If any AI tool was used during the preparation of the manuscript, the authors must disclose it in a separate statement at the end of the manuscript (before the References), as follows:

Author AI Use Statement:
“Portions of this manuscript were prepared with the assistance of [Name of AI Tool], which was used for [e.g., language editing/grammar correction/figure formatting]. The authors reviewed and approved all content and take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.”

If no AI tool was used, authors may write:
“The authors declare that no AI tools were used during the preparation of this manuscript.”

Responsibility and Authorship
• Authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, including text, figures, data, and conclusions, regardless of AI assistance.
• AI tools cannot fulfill the criteria for authorship and must not be listed as authors or contributors.

Data Protection and Privacy
Do not input sensitive data, unpublished findings, identifiable patient information, or confidential materials into publicly accessible AI tools. This may violate data protection and intellectual property policies.

Violations of this policy may result in manuscript rejection, post-publication corrections, or retraction in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.