Research integrity

EUM journals uphold and apply the principles of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the Ethical Code of the University of Macerata. These principles concern:

  • Reliability in ensuring the quality of research, reflected in its design, methodology, analysis, and use of resources;
  • Honesty in developing, conducting, reviewing, reporting, and communicating research in a transparent, fair, comprehensive, and impartial manner;
  • Respect for colleagues, research participants, society, ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the environment;
  • Accountability for research from conception to publication, for its management and organisation, for training, supervision, and mentoring, and for its broader impact.

ALLEA (2023). The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity – Revised Edition 2023. Berlin. DOI: 10.26356/ECOC.

Statement on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

The journal [Name of the journal], published by [Name of the University Press], acknowledges the increasing role of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in contemporary scholarly production and is committed to promoting its responsible and transparent use, fully in line with the principles of research integrity as set out in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (ALLEA 2017), adopted by the European Commission as an ethical reference for the entire European scientific community.

GenAI may serve as a valuable support tool for authors, facilitating analytical processes, linguistic refinement, or the reworking of texts. Nevertheless, its integration into research practices must always be governed by rigorous human oversight, a firm commitment to full transparency, and a clear attribution of individual responsibility—elements that remain indispensable to any credible scientific endeavour.

1. GenAI as a Support Tool

The automatic generation of texts, images, or data may be used by authors solely as a means of technical or editorial assistance. The core of the scientific process must remain exclusively the result of the author's own intellectual activity.

Under no circumstances may GenAI tools replace human scientific contribution or autonomously determine conceptual, methodological, or interpretative content.

2. Obligation of Transparent and Verifiable Disclosure

In accordance with the principles of transparency, honesty, and accountability established by the European Code of Conduct, authors must clearly and comprehensively disclose:

  • whether a GenAI system has been used;
  • which tool has been employed (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot);
  • which version or model (if known);
  • for which specific activities (e.g., linguistic editing, summarisation, figure generation, structural suggestions).

This disclosure must be included in the methodological notes of the manuscript and in the submission form, where required.

Failure to disclose the use of GenAI constitutes a violation of the journal's ethical guidelines and of the European principles of integrity.

3. Responsibility and Guarantee of Accuracy

Authors remain solely responsible for the correctness, originality, and accuracy of the data and interpretations.

They must critically verify any content produced with the assistance of GenAI, including the presence of errors, distortions, inaccurate references, fabricated data, or hallucinations that may compromise the scientific quality of the work.

In accordance with European principles of accountability, authors may not attribute to GenAI systems any responsibility or authorship for the content.

4. Permitted and Prohibited Uses

The following are considered acceptable uses:

  • linguistic or stylistic revision of texts produced by the author;
  • structural suggestions, preliminary summaries, or brainstorming;
  • preliminary organisation of bibliographic references;
  • generation of non-conceptual illustrations.

The following are considered unacceptable uses:

  • generation of entire paragraphs or scientific sections without critical revision;
  • creation, alteration, or fabrication of data;
  • unverified translations;
  • production of scientific arguments or original analyses attributable to GenAI;
  • use of GenAI for peer review, whether by reviewers or editors;
  • any undeclared use.

5. GenAI and Peer Review

Reviewers and editors may use GenAI tools solely for non-sensitive linguistic operations and never to analyse, evaluate, or summarise confidential content of manuscripts under review.

Improper use would violate European principles of confidentiality, impartiality, and independence in the peer-review process.

6. Editorial Oversight and Sanctions

The journal may carry out checks on both declared and undeclared uses of GenAI during the review process or after publication. Violations of the policy may result in:

  • requests for corrections;
  • rejection of the manuscript;
  • retraction of the published article;
  • notification of the authors' affiliated institutions.

The policy will be updated periodically in line with technological developments and with European recommendations on research integrity.