Artificial Intelligence, Publication Ethics, and the Future of Scholarly Publishing: An Editor’s Perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs), is rapidly transforming scholarly publishing by providing new tools for manuscript preparation, language enhancement, literature synthesis, and editorial workflows. While these technologies offer substantial benefits, including improved efficiency, accessibility, and support for non-native English-speaking researchers, they also introduce significant ethical and professional challenges. Key concerns include inaccurate or fabricated content, plagiarism, bias, authorship attribution, confidentiality, and accountability. Current consensus among publishers, editors, and professional organizations is that AI cannot meet established authorship criteria and should therefore be regarded as a tool rather than an author. Transparency in the disclosure of AI use, rigorous human oversight, and verification of AI-generated outputs are essential to maintaining scientific integrity. The growing integration of AI into peer review and editorial processes presents additional opportunities and risks, particularly regarding automation bias and data confidentiality. This editorial examines the evolving role of AI in scholarly communication and highlights emerging recommendations for responsible governance. Mandatory disclosure of AI use, clear editorial policies, guidance on AIassisted peer review, and periodic revision of governance frameworks will be critical to ensuring that innovation is balanced with accountability and trust in the scientific record.