Guidelines: Ethical AI Use
AI Guidelines for Authors Submitting to Unisa Press Journals
Purpose
The following are guidelines for the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by authors submitting articles to Unisa Press Journals. Their aim is to ensure the integrity, transparency, and fairness of the academic publishing process.
Scope
These guidelines apply to all authors who use AI tools in the preparation and submission of manuscripts to Unisa Press Journals.
Ethical Use of AI
Transparency: Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in the preparation of their manuscripts. This includes specifying the type of AI tools used and the extent of their contribution.
Originality: AI-generated content must be original and not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their submissions.
Authorship: AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Only individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions to the work should be credited as authors.
Data Privacy and Security
Data Protection: Authors must ensure that any data used in AI tools complies with data protection regulations, including the South African Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
Confidentiality: Authors must maintain the confidentiality of any sensitive data used in their research and ensure it is securely stored.
Plagiarism and Misconduct
Plagiarism Detection: Unisa Press uses IThenticate to check for plagiarism of submissions. However, the final responsibility for ensuring the originality of the manuscript lies with the authors.
Ethical Conduct: Any form of research misconduct, including data fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism, is strictly prohibited.
AI in Research and Writing
Assistance, Not Replacement: AI tools can assist in research and writing but should not replace the critical thinking and intellectual contributions of the authors.
Proper Attribution: Any content generated or significantly assisted by AI tools must be properly attributed and disclosed in the manuscript (please see below).
Compliance and Enforcement
Compliance: Authors must comply with these guidelines when submitting manuscripts to Unisa Press Journals. Non-compliance may result in the rejection of the manuscript or other disciplinary actions.
Review and Updates: These guidelines will be reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to reflect advancements in AI technology and changes in regulatory requirements. (Last updated 08/10/2025)
Citing AI-generated content
Unisa Press uses generally uses the Chicago Manual of Style. The following advice on citing AI-generated content can be found in the 18th ed., section 14.112:
Authors who have relied on content generated by a chatbot or similar AI tool must make it clear how the tool has been used (either in the text or in a preface or the like). Any specific content, whether quoted or paraphrased, should be cited where it occurs, either in the text or in a note. Like personal communications (see 14.111) and social media posts (see 14.106), chatbot conversations are not usually included in a bibliography or reference list (but see below). In the first three examples that follow, ChatGPT is the author of the content (though not in the traditional sense), and OpenAI is the publisher or developer. The URL points to a publicly archived copy of the conversation (see also 13.6, 13.17). Include the date the content was generated in addition to a version number. If the AI-generated text has been edited or adapted in any way, this fact should be acknowledged in the text or in the note (as in example note 2).
Cited in the text:
The following recipe for pizza dough was generated on December 9, 2023, by ChatGPT-3.5.
Cited in a note:
- Text generated by ChatGPT-3.5, OpenAI, December 9, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/share/90b8137d-ff1c-4c0c-b123-2868623c4ae2.
A prompt, if not included in the text, may be added to the note. Multiple prompts (as in an extended conversation) may be summarized.
- Response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” ChatGPT-3.5, Open AI, December 9, 2023, edited for style and accuracy.
If for any reason an AI conversation is included in a bibliography or reference list, cite it under the name of the publisher or developer rather than the name of the tool and include a publicly available URL (see also 14.104).
- Google. Response to “How many copyeditors does it take to fix a book-length manuscript?” Gemini 1.0, February 10, 2024. https://g.co/gemini/share/cccc26abdc19.
