AI Policy

POLICY ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Mutanaqishah: Journal of Islamic Banking

CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1
Background

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, including generative artificial intelligence tools, has significantly influenced scholarly research and academic publishing. Artificial intelligence may assist authors, editors, and reviewers in performing certain technical tasks, such as improving language clarity, organizing references, and supporting data analysis.

Nevertheless, inappropriate or undisclosed use of artificial intelligence may undermine originality, accuracy, confidentiality, intellectual responsibility, and public trust in scholarly publications. Artificial intelligence systems may also generate inaccurate, biased, incomplete, fabricated, or unverifiable information.

Therefore, Mutanaqishah: Journal of Islamic Banking establishes this policy to ensure that artificial intelligence is used responsibly, transparently, and ethically throughout the manuscript submission, peer-review, editorial, and publication processes.

 Article 2
Scope

This policy applies to:

  1. authors and co-authors submitting manuscripts to Mutanaqishah: Journal of Islamic Banking;
  2. editors, associate editors, editorial board members, and managing editors;
  3. peer reviewers;
  4. copyeditors, proofreaders, layout editors, and other members of the publication team; and
  5. any other party involved in the journal’s scholarly publishing process.

For the purposes of this policy, artificial intelligence includes generative AI systems, large language models, automated writing tools, image-generation systems, AI-assisted data-analysis applications, and other automated technologies capable of generating, modifying, summarizing, or evaluating scholarly content.

CHAPTER II PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

Article 3
Governing Principles

The use of artificial intelligence in the journal’s publication process shall be guided by the following principles:

1. Scholarly integrity
Every manuscript must represent the authentic intellectual contribution, reasoning, interpretation, and scholarly judgment of its authors.

2. Transparency
Authors must clearly disclose any substantive use of artificial intelligence in preparing, analysing, translating, or revising a manuscript.

3. Human accountability
Human authors, editors, and reviewers remain fully responsible for all content, decisions, interpretations, recommendations, and conclusions produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

4. Accuracy and verifiability
All information generated or assisted by artificial intelligence must be independently checked against reliable and traceable sources.

5. Originality
Artificial intelligence must not be used to reproduce, imitate, or paraphrase the work of others in a manner that constitutes plagiarism or conceals the original source.

6. Confidentiality
Unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, personal data, research data, and confidential editorial information must not be uploaded to artificial intelligence systems that do not guarantee appropriate data protection and confidentiality.

7. Fairness and non-discrimination

Users must remain alert to biases that may be embedded in artificial intelligence outputs and ensure that their use does not produce discriminatory, misleading, or academically unfair outcomes.

Article 4
Objectives

This policy is intended to:

  1. protect the originality, reliability, and credibility of articles published by the journal;
  2. provide clear guidance regarding acceptable and unacceptable uses of artificial intelligence;
  3. ensure that human judgment remains central to research and editorial decision-making;
  4. prevent fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, manipulation, and misrepresentation of scholarly content;
  5. protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and peer-review materials; and
  6. align the journal’s publication practices with internationally recognised principles of publication ethics and research integrity.

CHAPTER III USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BY AUTHORS

Article 5
Permitted Uses

Authors may use artificial intelligence as a supporting tool for limited and legitimate purposes, including:

  1. checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence clarity;
  2. improving the readability of text without altering its scientific meaning;
  3. assisting with manuscript formatting and reference organisation;
  4. supporting literature searches, provided that every source is independently verified;
  5. generating preliminary summaries or outlines that are subsequently critically evaluated and substantially developed by the authors;
  6. assisting with coding, statistical procedures, visualisation, or data analysis, provided that the methods are transparently described and independently validated; and
  7. translating text, provided that the authors verify the accuracy, terminology, meaning, and contextual appropriateness of the translation.

The use of artificial intelligence does not remove the authors’ responsibility to verify every statement, citation, calculation, dataset, interpretation, and conclusion contained in the manuscript.

Article 6
Disclosure of Artificial Intelligence Use

Authors must disclose the use of artificial intelligence whenever it has materially contributed to manuscript preparation, data analysis, translation, coding, visualisation, or other substantive components of the research.

The disclosure must identify:

  1. the name and version of the artificial intelligence tool, where available;
  2. the purpose for which the tool was used;
  3. the part of the manuscript or research process affected by its use; and
  4. the manner in which the authors verified and revised the resulting output.

The disclosure may be placed in the methodology, acknowledgements, or a separate declaration entitled Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies.

A recommended disclosure statement is as follows:

During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [name and version of the AI tool] for [specific purpose]. The authors reviewed, verified, and edited all outputs generated by the tool and accept full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the final manuscript.

Routine use of basic spelling or grammar-checking functions that does not generate or substantially modify scholarly content does not normally require a formal declaration. However, substantive rewriting, translation, summarisation, data processing, or content generation must be disclosed.

 Article 7
Prohibited Uses

Authors are prohibited from using artificial intelligence to:

  1. generate an entire manuscript or a substantial part of a manuscript without meaningful intellectual contribution from the authors;
  2. fabricate, falsify, alter, or manipulate research data, images, tables, statistical findings, quotations, or other evidence;
  3. create references, citations, digital object identifiers, legal provisions, datasets, or quotations that have not been verified from authentic sources;
  4. conceal plagiarism or improperly paraphrase the work of other authors;
  5. produce false research participants, interview transcripts, survey responses, case descriptions, or experimental results;
  6. misrepresent AI-generated content as entirely human-generated scholarly work;
  7. generate images, figures, or graphical evidence that could mislead readers regarding actual research observations;
  8. breach privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property rights, or research ethics;
  9. replace the authors’ critical analysis, theoretical reasoning, interpretation, or scholarly judgment; or
  10. conceal the use of artificial intelligence when disclosure is required under this policy.

 Article 8
Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot:

  1. accept responsibility for the content of a manuscript;
  2. approve the final version for publication;
  3. disclose conflicts of interest;
  4. enter into copyright or licensing agreements;
  5. respond to allegations of research misconduct; or
  6. satisfy recognised authorship and contributorship requirements.

Only individuals who meet the journal’s authorship criteria may be included in the author list.

 Article 9
Author Responsibility

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  1. the originality and accuracy of the manuscript;
  2. the authenticity and integrity of the research data;
  3. the validity of all references and citations;
  4. compliance with ethical and legal requirements;
  5. obtaining permission for copyrighted materials;
  6. correcting errors introduced by artificial intelligence tools;
  7. disclosing conflicts of interest and sources of funding; and
  8. responding transparently to editorial questions concerning artificial intelligence use.

The use of artificial intelligence cannot be invoked as a defence for errors, plagiarism, fabricated information, inaccurate citations, ethical violations, or other forms of misconduct.

 

CHAPTER IV USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BY EDITORS AND REVIEWERS

Article 10
Responsibilities of Editors

Editors may use approved digital or artificial intelligence tools for limited administrative and technical purposes, including:

  1. similarity screening;
  2. checking metadata completeness;
  3. supporting language assessment;
  4. identifying possible reference inconsistencies; and
  5. assisting with routine editorial administration.

However, artificial intelligence must not make or replace editorial judgments. Decisions concerning desk rejection, peer review, revision, acceptance, correction, or retraction must remain under the authority and responsibility of human editors.

Editors must not rely solely on automated AI-detection tools to determine whether a manuscript was generated by artificial intelligence. Such tools may produce false-positive or false-negative results. Any concern must be assessed through careful examination, supporting evidence, and communication with the authors.

 Article 11
Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and supplementary materials as confidential documents.

Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts, figures, tables, datasets, supplementary materials, or identifiable excerpts into public or third-party artificial intelligence systems unless:

  1. the journal has expressly authorised the use of a secure system;
  2. the system provides adequate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards; and
  3. the reviewer clearly discloses such use to the editor.

Artificial intelligence must not be used to generate an entire peer-review report or replace the reviewer’s independent assessment. Reviewers remain personally responsible for the accuracy, fairness, constructiveness, and confidentiality of their reports.

Editorial recommendations must be based on the reviewer’s own expertise and critical evaluation of the manuscript.

 Article 12
Confidentiality and Data Protection

Editors, reviewers, and members of the editorial team are prohibited from entering confidential or unpublished journal materials into artificial intelligence systems that may:

  1. retain submitted data;
  2. use the material for model training;
  3. disclose the content to third parties;
  4. compromise anonymous peer review; or
  5. violate intellectual property, privacy, or data-protection obligations.

Any authorised use of artificial intelligence must comply with the journal’s confidentiality, peer-review, copyright, and research-ethics policies.

CHAPTER V SCREENING, INVESTIGATION, AND CORRECTIVE ACTION

Article 13
Editorial Assessment

When undisclosed or inappropriate use of artificial intelligence is suspected, the editorial team may:

  1. request clarification from the corresponding author;
  2. request the original data, analysis files, research instruments, or relevant documentation;
  3. examine the accuracy and existence of references and citations;
  4. seek an additional methodological, statistical, or ethical review;
  5. consult the authors’ institution where serious misconduct is reasonably suspected; and
  6. temporarily suspend the editorial process while the matter is being investigated.

A manuscript shall not be rejected solely on the basis of an automated AI-detection score. Editorial action must be supported by a fair assessment of the available evidence.

 Article 14
Violations Before Publication

Where a violation is identified before publication, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  1. request correction or complete disclosure of artificial intelligence use;
  2. return the manuscript for substantial revision;
  3. reject the manuscript;
  4. terminate the review process;
  5. notify all authors of the ethical concern; or
  6. refer serious cases to the relevant institution or ethics body.

The action taken shall be proportionate to the nature, severity, intent, and consequences of the violation.

 Article 15
Violations After Publication

If inappropriate or undisclosed use of artificial intelligence is discovered after publication, the journal may:

  1. publish a correction;
  2. publish an editorial note or expression of concern;
  3. retract the article;
  4. amend the declaration concerning artificial intelligence use;
  5. notify the authors’ institution, research funder, or other relevant authority; or
  6. take other corrective action consistent with recognised publication-ethics procedures.

Retraction or other post-publication action shall follow a documented investigation and provide the authors with a reasonable opportunity to respond.

 Article 16
Repeated or Serious Violations

Authors who repeatedly or deliberately violate this policy may be subject to a temporary restriction on future submissions. Any restriction must:

  1. be based on documented evidence;
  2. be proportionate to the violation;
  3. be determined through a fair editorial process;
  4. be communicated formally to the authors; and
  5. allow an opportunity for clarification or appeal.

The journal shall avoid arbitrary or permanent blacklisting without appropriate investigation and due process.

CHAPTER VI REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION

Article 17
Periodic Review

This policy shall be reviewed periodically to reflect:

  1. developments in artificial intelligence technologies;
  2. changes in international publication-ethics standards;
  3. developments in copyright, privacy, and data-protection requirements;
  4. emerging risks affecting scholarly communication; and
  5. the operational needs of Mutanaqishah: Journal of Islamic Banking.

Revisions shall be approved by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board.

 Article 18
Effective Date

This policy becomes effective on the date determined by the Editorial Board and applies to all manuscripts submitted, reviewed, accepted, or published after that date.

By submitting a manuscript to Mutanaqishah: Journal of Islamic Banking, authors acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to comply with this policy.

 

DECLARATION OF GENERATIVE AI AND AI-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGIES

Authors who use artificial intelligence must include a declaration using the following format:

The authors used [name and version of the AI tool] during the preparation of this manuscript for [describe the purpose, such as language editing, translation, coding assistance, or data visualisation]. All AI-generated outputs were reviewed, verified, and revised by the authors. The authors accept full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and final content of the manuscript.

Authors who did not use generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies may state:

The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technology was used to generate the scholarly content of this manuscript.