Generative AI Policy

Life Course Psychology (LCP)
Scidac Plus

1. Purpose

LCP recognizes that generative artificial intelligence and AI-assisted tools may support certain aspects of scholarly writing and research. This policy explains how authors, reviewers, and editors may use such tools responsibly while protecting originality, confidentiality, source accuracy, and human accountability in psychological research.

The journal treats AI as a tool, not as a scholarly authority. AI-generated output may be inaccurate, incomplete, biased, fabricated, or unsuitable for scientific research. Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of their work.

2. General Principle

Authors remain fully responsible for every statement, citation, interpretation, analysis, data presentation, and conclusion in their manuscript. AI tools may assist with limited tasks but must not replace the author's scholarly judgment, the reviewer's expert evaluation, or the editor's editorial responsibility.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship is limited to human contributors who can approve the final manuscript, accept responsibility for the work, respond to editorial questions, disclose conflicts of interest, and be accountable for the integrity of the publication.

3. Permitted Uses by Authors

Authors may use AI tools for limited support, such as improving readability, checking grammar, assisting transcription, organizing notes, formatting tables, or supporting data organization. Any AI-assisted output must be carefully reviewed, corrected, and verified by the author before submission.

The use of basic spelling checkers, grammar tools, reference managers, or formatting tools does not require formal disclosure unless the tool generates or substantially rewrites scholarly content.

4. Unacceptable Uses

Authors must not use AI tools to fabricate references, research data, participant information, statistical results, interview data, field notes, images, or scholarly evidence. AI must not be used to conceal plagiarism, generate misleading research findings, manipulate data, or create unsupported scholarly claims.

AI-generated content must not be presented as independently verified scholarship. Authors remain responsible for checking all sources and ensuring that citations accurately support the claims made in the manuscript. Authors should not rely on AI-generated references or information without independently verifying the original sources.

5. Disclosure Requirement

Authors must disclose any substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies when such tools have contributed to drafting, rewriting, summarizing, translating, coding, data analysis, generating tables or figures, or otherwise substantially shaping the manuscript or research presentation.

The disclosure should identify the tool or service used, its purpose, and the part of the manuscript or research process affected. Authors must confirm that they reviewed, verified, edited, and approved the final AI-assisted content.

A suitable statement is:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [name of tool/service] for [purpose]. The author(s) reviewed, verified, edited, and approved all AI-assisted output and take full responsibility for the final content.”

6. Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers, editors, and editorial staff must not upload submitted manuscripts, review reports, editorial correspondence, unpublished data, or confidential author information into public or third-party AI systems unless the journal has explicitly approved the use of such tools and confidentiality can be adequately protected.

Reviewers may not use AI to generate a peer-review report in place of their own expert evaluation. Editors are responsible for ensuring that the use of digital tools in editorial work does not compromise confidentiality, reviewer anonymity, author privacy, intellectual property, or editorial independence.

7. Handling Problematic AI Use

If the journal identifies suspected undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI, the editor may request clarification from the author. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the case, the journal may require a disclosure statement, request revision, reject the manuscript, issue a correction, or investigate the matter as potential publication misconduct.

Questions regarding this policy may be directed to the LCP Editorial Office at lifecoursepsychology@gmail.com.

Approved by: Editorial Board of LCP
Publisher: Scidac Plus
Last updated: August 2026