Generative AI Policy

Editorial Integrity

Generative AI Policy

Asia Book Registry acknowledges the rapid integration of generative AI tools in scholarly work. This policy sets clear, transparent standards for AI use in submitted books and within ABR's own editorial processes — grounded in human accountability, full disclosure, and scholarly integrity.

▶ COPE AI Guidelines

▶ ICMJE Recommendations

▶ STM AI Principles

▶ Full Disclosure Required

Core Principle: Generative AI is a tool, not an author. Human researchers and publishers bear full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance of submitted books — regardless of which AI tools were used during their creation. Transparency through disclosure is mandatory; concealment constitutes misconduct.

Section 1

Scope

This policy applies to:

Publishers & Authors Submitting to ABR

All parties submitting books for indexing in ABR — including publishers, editors, and corresponding authors — with respect to the use of generative AI tools in the creation, revision, or illustration of submitted books.

ABR Editorial Team

All ABR staff, editors, and contractors who use AI-assisted tools in the editorial screening, metadata verification, or quality review processes of submitted books.

For the purpose of this policy, "generative AI" refers to any AI system capable of generating original text, images, data, code, or other content — including but not limited to large language models (LLMs), image generators, code assistants, and AI-powered translation or paraphrasing tools.

Section 2

AI Cannot Be Listed as an Author

⚠ Absolute Prohibition

AI systems and tools may not be listed as authors or editors in metadata submitted to ABR. This applies regardless of the extent of AI involvement in creating the book's content.

This prohibition is grounded in the internationally recognized criteria for authorship, which require that authors: (1) make substantial intellectual contributions; (2) take responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of their work; and (3) be accountable for all aspects of the work. AI systems cannot fulfill any of these criteria.

Authorship Criterion	Why AI Cannot Meet It
Substantial intellectual contribution	AI generates output based on statistical patterns, not original intellectual understanding or creative intent
Responsibility for accuracy & integrity	AI cannot be held responsible for errors, fabrications ("hallucinations"), or ethical violations in generated content
Accountability for all aspects of the work	AI has no legal personhood, cannot respond to corrections, retraction notices, or misconduct proceedings
Approval of the final version	AI cannot approve, consent to, or provide final sign-off on any version of a submitted work

Source: ICMJE authorship criteria; COPE Position Statement on AI and Authorship (2023); STM Association AI Principles (2023).

Section 3

Permitted and Prohibited AI Use in Submitted Books

ABR does not prohibit the use of AI tools in the creation of scholarly books. However, transparency and human accountability are non-negotiable. The following table distinguishes permitted use (with disclosure) from prohibited practices.

Use of AI	Status	Condition / Notes
Grammar & spell-checking (e.g., Grammarly)	Permitted	No disclosure required; tool acts as a proofreader only
Language editing & clarity improvement	Permitted	Disclosure recommended in Acknowledgments (e.g., "Language editing assisted by [Tool]")
AI-assisted literature search or summarization	Permitted	Authors must verify all AI-generated summaries against primary sources; disclosure in Acknowledgments required
AI-assisted translation	Permitted	Human review and sign-off on translated content required; disclosure in Acknowledgments
AI-generated figures, charts, or illustrations	Permitted*	Must be clearly labeled in the figure caption; copyright and permissions must comply with the publisher's license; disclosure in Acknowledgments
AI-generated substantial text content	Permitted*	Mandatory disclosure required in both Acknowledgments and in metadata submitted to ABR (see Section 5). Human authors remain fully responsible for accuracy and integrity of AI-generated text.
AI listed as an author or editor	Prohibited	Treated as authorship misconduct per ABR's Allegations of Misconduct Policy (Section 2)
AI-generated fabricated citations or references	Prohibited	Constitutes data fabrication and a research integrity violation; may result in retraction and permanent publisher ban
Concealing AI use from ABR and readers	Prohibited	Constitutes metadata misrepresentation; treated under Allegations of Misconduct Policy
AI-generated peer review reports	Prohibited	Reviewers must not use AI to generate peer review reports on manuscripts; violates confidentiality and reviewer accountability norms

Section 4

Special Considerations for AI-Generated Books

ABR recognizes the emergence of books in which generative AI has played a significant or primary role in content creation. ABR does not categorically exclude such books from indexing, provided all of the following conditions are met:

1 Human Publisher Identity A named, identifiable human publisher or editor with full legal and editorial accountability must be associated with the book and appear in the metadata submitted to ABR.	2 Transparent Disclosure The extent of AI involvement must be clearly disclosed in the book's front matter or acknowledgments, and flagged in the metadata notes field when submitting to ABR.
3 Human Editorial Review A qualified human editor must review, verify, and take responsibility for the AI-generated content prior to publication. The editorial process must be documented and available on request.	4 Scholarly Standards Met The book must still meet all standard ABR indexing criteria — ISBN, scholarly purpose, identified human authorship/editorship, and complete metadata — regardless of AI involvement in content creation.

ABR Registry Marking

Books in which generative AI played a substantial role in content creation will be marked with a "AI-Assisted Content" notation in the ABR record, visible to all users. This is a transparency measure, not a quality judgment. The notation does not affect indexing status.

Section 5

Disclosure Requirements & Templates

When submitting a book to ABR, publishers must select the appropriate AI disclosure level in the submission form. ABR provides three standard disclosure templates for use in both the book's front matter and the submission metadata.

Template A No Generative AI Used

"The authors/editors confirm that no generative artificial intelligence tools or large language models were used in the research, writing, data analysis, or illustration of this work."

Template B AI Used for Language / Editing Assistance Only

"During the preparation of this work, the authors/editors used [Tool Name, e.g., Grammarly / ChatGPT] for the purpose of [grammar checking / language editing / translation]. The authors/editors reviewed and edited all AI-assisted content and take full responsibility for the final content of this work."

Template C AI Used for Substantial Content Generation

"This work was produced with the assistance of generative AI tools. Specifically, [Tool Name] was used to [describe purpose, e.g., draft initial chapter outlines / generate sections of text / produce illustrative content]. All AI-generated content was reviewed, verified for accuracy, and substantially edited by the author(s)/editor(s), who take full responsibility for the integrity and scholarly quality of the final work. This book is indexed in Asia Book Registry with an 'AI-Assisted Content' notation."

Where to Place the Disclosure

The AI disclosure statement must appear in: (1) the book's Acknowledgments section or a dedicated "AI Use Statement" page in the front matter; and (2) the "Notes" or "Additional Information" field in the ABR submission form. Omitting disclosure from either location constitutes a metadata violation.

Section 6

ABR's Own Use of AI Tools

ABR uses AI-assisted tools in its editorial screening and quality assurance processes. All such use is subject to human review and does not replace editorial judgment.

Tool / Process	Purpose	Limits & Human Oversight
Turnitin iThenticate	Plagiarism and text-similarity screening of full-text submissions	Similarity scores are reviewed by a human editor; no automatic rejection based on score alone
Grammarly Premium	Language quality and readability assessment of metadata descriptions and editorial communications	Used for editorial correspondence quality only; not applied to the full text of submitted books
AI-assisted metadata verification	Cross-checking submitted ISBNs, DOIs, and author identifiers against external databases	All discrepancies flagged by AI tools are manually reviewed and verified before any editorial action is taken
AI content detection	Identifying undisclosed AI-generated content in submitted books where disclosure is mandatory	Detection results are indicative, not conclusive; findings are discussed with the submitting publisher before any misconduct action is initiated

Data Privacy Commitment

Full-text documents submitted to ABR for screening are processed in accordance with ABR's Privacy Statement and Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (nDSG). Submitted content is not used to train any AI model, shared with third parties beyond the stated screening tools, or retained beyond the period required for editorial processing.

Section 7

Accountability & Consequences

Human authors, editors, and publishers bear sole and full responsibility for all content in a submitted book, regardless of what proportion was generated by AI tools. The following consequences apply to violations of this policy.

Violation	Consequence
Failure to disclose AI use (minor, first offense)	Formal request for disclosure; metadata correction; formal warning
Deliberate concealment of substantial AI content	Metadata correction with Expression of Concern; possible retraction; misconduct investigation under Allegations of Misconduct Policy
AI listed as an author	Mandatory metadata correction; formal warning; repeat offenses may result in publisher account suspension
AI-generated fabricated citations or data	Retraction; possible permanent publisher ban; referral to institutional research integrity office
AI used to generate peer review reports	Invalidation of the peer review report; reviewer removed from ABR's reviewer database; publisher notified

Section 8

Policy Review & Contact

Given the rapid pace of development in AI technology and scholarly publishing norms, this policy is reviewed more frequently than standard ABR policies — at minimum every six months — and updated in response to developments from COPE, ICMJE, STM, and applicable regulatory frameworks.

Policy Effective Date	2024
Review Frequency	Every 6 months, or immediately upon significant updates to COPE, ICMJE, or STM AI guidance
Governing Framework	COPE Position Statement on AI and Authorship (2023); ICMJE Recommendations on AI; STM Association AI Principles (2023); Swiss nDSG; EU GDPR
Related Policies	Publication Ethics Policy; Allegations of Misconduct Policy; Corrections & Retraction Policy; Conflict of Interest Policy
Questions & Contact	contact@explorerfrontier.com — Explorer Frontier, Rainstrasse 20, 8134 Adliswil, Zurich, Switzerland