Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Socratika: Journal of Progressive Education and Social Inquiry recognizes the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated tools in scholarly research, writing, peer review, and editorial processes. This policy establishes principles for the responsible use of AI by authors, reviewers, editors, and the journal.

The use of AI must uphold academic integrity, transparency, accountability, confidentiality, accuracy, originality, and human responsibility. AI-assisted tools must not replace independent scholarly judgment or human responsibility for research and publication decisions.

1. Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use artificial intelligence or AI-assisted tools to support research and manuscript preparation, provided that their use complies with principles of transparency and research integrity.

Authors must comply with the following requirements:

  1. AI tools, including generative AI and large language models, cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, or ethical compliance of scholarly work.

  2. Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to Socratika, including text, arguments, data, analyses, references, tables, figures, images, translations, and other materials produced or assisted by AI tools.

  3. The substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in preparing a manuscript must be transparently disclosed. This includes the use of AI for generating or substantially modifying text, analysing data, creating images or figures, translating substantial portions of a manuscript, or other activities that materially contribute to the scholarly work.

  4. Routine use of software for spelling correction, grammar correction, reference management, formatting, or other basic technical assistance does not normally require disclosure unless the tool makes substantive changes to the scholarly content.

  5. Authors must carefully verify the accuracy, validity, originality, and appropriateness of all AI-assisted outputs. Authors are responsible for identifying and correcting inaccurate information, fabricated references, misleading interpretations, bias, or other errors generated by AI systems.

  6. Generative AI tools must not be cited as primary scholarly sources or used as substitutes for original academic literature.

  7. Authors must not use AI tools in ways that violate copyright, privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property rights, research ethics, or applicable laws and regulations.

  8. Where AI has been substantively used in the research process or manuscript preparation, authors should clearly describe the tool used and the purpose of its use in an appropriate section of the manuscript.

2. Use of AI by Reviewers

Reviewers are responsible for providing independent, objective, confidential, and scholarly assessments of manuscripts.

Reviewers must comply with the following requirements:

  1. Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, unpublished data, figures, tables, supplementary materials, or other confidential information to publicly accessible generative AI systems or other services that cannot guarantee confidentiality and data protection.

  2. Generative AI must not be used to generate, replace, or substantially determine the reviewer’s evaluation or recommendation.

  3. Review reports must reflect the reviewer’s own scholarly judgment, expertise, critical assessment, and responsibility.

  4. Reviewers remain fully accountable for the accuracy, appropriateness, fairness, and integrity of their review reports.

  5. Limited use of AI-assisted tools for language editing or improving the clarity of a review may be acceptable only when confidentiality is protected and the reviewer remains responsible for the final content.

  6. Any substantive use of AI-assisted tools in preparing a review should be disclosed to the editor when relevant.

3. Use of AI by Editors

Editors must protect the confidentiality and integrity of manuscripts throughout the editorial process.

Editors must comply with the following requirements:

  1. Editors and editorial staff must not upload unpublished manuscripts, reviewer reports, author correspondence, confidential data, or other protected materials to generative AI systems that cannot guarantee confidentiality and data security.

  2. Generative AI must not be used to make or replace editorial decisions, peer-review assessments, or judgments concerning the scientific quality of a manuscript.

  3. Editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of qualified human editors and must be based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, relevance to the journal, and peer-review reports.

  4. Editors remain fully responsible for all editorial decisions, regardless of whether automated or AI-assisted tools are used to support administrative or technical processes.

  5. AI tools must not be used in ways that compromise editorial independence, fairness, confidentiality, or the integrity of the peer-review process.

4. Use of Automated Tools by the Journal

Socratika may use automated or AI-assisted tools for legitimate administrative, technical, editorial-support, or research-integrity purposes. Such uses may include plagiarism or similarity screening, language-support tools, metadata processing, technical manuscript checks, or other appropriate editorial assistance.

When automated tools are used:

  1. Their use must not replace human editorial judgment.

  2. Relevant tools must be appropriately evaluated before routine implementation.

  3. Automated findings concerning plagiarism, text similarity, image manipulation, duplicate publication, undeclared AI use, or other integrity issues must be reviewed and verified by an editor or qualified journal staff member.

  4. Automated reviewer recommendations, where used, must be assessed by an editor before invitations are issued.

  5. The journal remains responsible for decisions arising from the use of automated systems.

5. Disclosure and Transparency

Authors must transparently disclose substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies where such tools have materially contributed to the preparation or conduct of the research.

A disclosure should, where applicable, identify:

  • the name of the AI tool or system;

  • the purpose for which it was used; and

  • the aspect of the research or manuscript to which it contributed.

Disclosure of AI use does not remove the authors’ responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of the submitted work.

6. Violations of the AI Policy

Undisclosed, inappropriate, deceptive, or unethical use of AI may be treated as a potential violation of publication ethics.

Where concerns arise, Socratika may request clarification, original research materials, data, documentation, or other relevant evidence from the authors.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the journal may take appropriate action, including:

  • requesting correction or clarification;

  • requiring revision;

  • rejecting the manuscript;

  • publishing a correction or expression of concern;

  • retracting a published article; or

  • taking other actions consistent with the journal’s Publication Ethics policy.

7. Human Responsibility

The final responsibility for scholarly work always remains with human authors, reviewers, and editors.

Artificial intelligence and automated tools may assist scholarly and editorial processes, but they cannot replace human accountability, critical judgment, ethical responsibility, or editorial independence.