AI Policy For Editors
The Journal of Clinical Pharmacy in Community Practice (JCPCP) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of editorial integrity, confidentiality, and ethical governance. Editors play a central role in ensuring the fairness, quality, and credibility of the scholarly publication process. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies by editors must strictly comply with the principles outlined below.
1. Confidentiality and Data Protection
All manuscripts and related editorial materials are strictly confidential. Editors must not upload, copy, share, or process any manuscript content—including text, figures, tables, reviewer reports, or editorial correspondence—into any AI system or external platform.
This strict confidentiality requirement is essential to protect author privacy, intellectual property rights, and unpublished research data. It also applies to all editorial communications, including decision letters, reviewer comments, reviewer invitations, and internal editorial discussions.
2. AI in Editorial Decision-Making
Editorial decisions must be based on independent human judgment, subject expertise, and critical academic evaluation. AI tools must not be used to assess, interpret, or determine the scientific quality, originality, or suitability of submitted manuscripts.
Editors remain fully responsible for all editorial decisions, including manuscript assignment, reviewer selection, evaluation of peer review reports, and final decisions regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection.
AI systems must not replace or influence editorial reasoning or decision-making at any stage of the publication process.
3. AI Disclosure and Ethical Oversight
Where applicable, authors are required to disclose the use of AI tools in manuscript preparation. Editors are responsible for monitoring, verifying, and ensuring that such disclosures are appropriately addressed during the editorial process.
Any suspected case of non-disclosure, misuse of AI tools, or ethical concerns related to AI usage must be reported to the Editor-in-Chief or publisher for formal investigation in accordance with the journal’s ethical policies.
4. AI in Editorial Operations
JCPCP may use AI-assisted technologies to support limited administrative and technical editorial tasks such as plagiarism screening, metadata validation, manuscript tracking, and reviewer assignment suggestions.
These tools are used strictly under controlled conditions and in compliance with confidentiality and data protection standards. AI systems are supportive only and do not replace human editorial judgment or decision-making authority.
5. Responsibility and Ethical Accountability
Editors are fully responsible for ensuring fairness, transparency, confidentiality, and ethical integrity throughout the editorial workflow.
Any misuse of AI tools that compromises confidentiality, objectivity, or editorial standards may result in corrective actions, including:
- Reassignment of editorial responsibilities
- Temporary suspension from editorial duties
- Removal from the editorial board
- Formal review by the Editor-in-Chief or publisher
6. Commitment to Responsible AI Use
JCPCP encourages the responsible and transparent use of AI technologies only when they enhance operational efficiency without compromising human judgment, confidentiality, or ethical publishing standards.
Human expertise, editorial independence, and academic integrity remain the foundation of all editorial decisions.
