McCoy Press Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Manuscript Preparation and Research Publication

Purpose

McCoy Press recognizes that artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies are increasingly being used in scholarly writing, research preparation, editing, data organization, and manuscript development. These tools may have appropriate limited uses when they support clarity, organization, grammar, formatting, or readability. However, the use of AI also raises serious concerns regarding authorship, originality, accuracy, citation integrity, patient confidentiality, copyright, research ethics, and the reliability of the scientific record.

This policy establishes the standards governing the use of artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies in manuscripts submitted to McCoy Press journals.

General Policy

McCoy Press permits limited, disclosed use of AI-assisted tools for language editing, organization, formatting, and readability, provided that all intellectual content, clinical observations, patient data, analysis, conclusions, citations, and interpretations are verified by the human authors.

AI tools may not be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship is limited to human contributors who meet the journal’s authorship requirements and who can accept responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and final content of the manuscript.

Undisclosed use of AI or AI-assisted technologies may be treated as a publication ethics violation.

Human Author Responsibility

Human authors remain fully responsible for the entire manuscript, including any content generated, edited, revised, summarized, organized, or otherwise assisted by artificial intelligence.

By submitting a manuscript to McCoy Press, the author(s) certify that they have reviewed, verified, edited, and approved the final manuscript and that they accept full responsibility for:

• The accuracy of all statements, claims, findings, and conclusions;
• The authenticity of all clinical observations, case details, patient outcomes, and research data;
• The accuracy and existence of all references and citations;
• The originality of the manuscript;
• The protection of patient confidentiality;
• Compliance with copyright and permissions requirements;
• The integrity of all images, figures, tables, and data; and
• The proper disclosure of any AI or AI-assisted technology used.

Categories of AI Use

1. Acceptable Without Disclosure

The following uses are acceptable and do not require disclosure, provided they do not generate substantive scholarly, clinical, scientific, or interpretive content:

• Basic spellcheck;
• Grammar correction;
• Formatting tools;
• Citation manager formatting;
• Word processor suggestions;
• Routine copyediting tools;
• Non-generative tools used only to correct typographical or mechanical errors.
• These tools may be used in the same manner as traditional spelling, grammar, and word processing tools.

2. Acceptable With Disclosure

The following uses are acceptable only when disclosed by the author(s):

• Use of AI to improve readability;
• Reorganization of author-written sentences or paragraphs;
• Suggestions for manuscript titles, subtitles, or headings;
• Summarization of text originally written by the author(s);
• Assistance with plain-language explanations;
• Assistance with manuscript structure or organization;
• Editorial refinement of author-generated content.

These uses are permitted only when the author(s) review, edit, verify, and approve the AI-assisted content and accept full responsibility for the final manuscript.

3. AI Use Requiring Methods Disclosure

When AI or AI-assisted technologies are used as part of the research process, the use must be described in the Methods section of the manuscript in sufficient detail to allow editorial review and, where applicable, reproducibility.

This includes, but is not limited to, AI used for:

• Literature screening;
• Data extraction;
• Statistical analysis;
• Coding or software development;
• Imaging analysis;
• Clinical record review;
• Figure generation;
• Data visualization;
• Qualitative analysis;
• Any process that affects the research methods, findings, interpretation, or conclusions.

The Methods disclosure must include, when applicable:

• Name of the AI tool;
• Version or model, if known;
• Developer or company;
• Date accessed or used;
• Purpose of use;
• Type of data or material entered into the tool;
• Output generated;
• Human verification process;
• Steps taken to protect confidentiality, copyright, and research integrity.

4. Prohibited or Presumptively Unacceptable Uses

The following uses of AI are prohibited or presumptively unacceptable in manuscripts submitted to McCoy Press:

• AI-generated patient data;
• Fabricated cases, findings, observations, or outcomes;
• Invented citations or references;
• AI-written literature reviews that are not independently verified by the author(s);
• AI-generated claims unsupported by the cited literature;
• AI-altered clinical images;
• AI-created or AI-modified radiographs, MRIs, CT scans, thermography images, posture images, surface EMG images, patient photographs, or other clinical images presented as evidence;
• Undisclosed AI-generated manuscript sections;
• Use of AI in a manner that violates patient confidentiality;
• Use of AI in a manner that violates copyright or licensing rights;
• Use of AI to obscure plagiarism, duplicate publication, authorship misconduct, or data fabrication;
• Use of AI to generate peer-review responses that misrepresent the author’s own analysis or corrections.
• McCoy Press reserves the right to reject, retract, correct, or investigate any manuscript if prohibited or undisclosed AI use is discovered.

AI and Authorship

Artificial intelligence systems, large language models, chatbots, image generators, automated writing tools, and similar technologies may not be named as authors or co-authors.

AI tools cannot assume responsibility for the submitted work, cannot approve the final manuscript, cannot verify clinical or scientific accuracy, cannot disclose conflicts of interest, and cannot be held accountable for errors, fabrication, plagiarism, copyright infringement, or confidentiality violations.

Only human authors may be credited with authorship.

Required AI Declaration

Every manuscript submitted to McCoy Press must include an AI declaration. Authors must use one of the following statements, modified as necessary for accuracy.

No AI Use Declaration

“The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technology was used in the preparation, analysis, writing, or editing of this manuscript, other than routine spelling, grammar, formatting, or reference-management tools.”

AI Use Declaration

“During preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used [name of tool and version, if known] for [specific purpose]. The author(s) reviewed, edited, verified, and approved all content generated or assisted by this tool and take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, citations, patient information, analysis, conclusions, and final submitted manuscript.”

Methods-Level AI Use Declaration

“Artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technology was used as part of the research process as follows: [tool name, version, developer, date accessed, purpose, input materials, output generated, human verification process]. The authors confirm that all outputs were independently reviewed and verified and that no patient confidentiality, copyright, or research integrity requirements were violated.”

Patient Confidentiality

Authors may not enter identifiable patient information, protected health information, confidential clinical records, unpublished case details, images, or other sensitive information into AI tools unless they can demonstrate that such use complies with all applicable privacy, consent, institutional, legal, and ethical requirements.

Any AI-assisted use involving patient information must be disclosed and may require additional documentation, including patient consent, de-identification procedures, and confirmation that confidentiality was preserved.

References and Citations

Authors are responsible for verifying every reference cited in the manuscript. AI-generated references must not be used unless the author has independently confirmed that the reference exists, is accurately cited, and supports the statement for which it is cited.

McCoy Press may require authors to provide copies, links, DOIs, PubMed records, or other verification for cited materials.

Invented, inaccurate, misattributed, or unsupported citations may be grounds for rejection, correction, retraction, or further publication ethics review.

Clinical Images, Figures, and Tables

AI may not be used to create, alter, enhance, reconstruct, or manipulate clinical images in a way that changes or could be perceived as changing the underlying clinical evidence.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Radiographs;
• MRIs;
• CT scans;
• Ultrasound images;
• Thermography images;
• Surface EMG images;
• Posture images;
• Patient photographs;
• Diagnostic images;
• Outcome assessment images.

Any use of AI in the preparation of non-clinical figures, diagrams, illustrations, or data visualizations must be disclosed. Authors remain responsible for ensuring that such figures are accurate, not misleading, and do not infringe copyright.

Editorial and Peer-Review Use of AI

Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Manuscripts, reviewer comments, unpublished data, patient information, figures, tables, or other confidential submission materials may not be entered into public or third-party AI tools unless specifically authorized by McCoy Press and consistent with confidentiality, copyright, and privacy requirements.

Peer review must reflect the judgment, expertise, and analysis of the human reviewer. AI may not be used as a substitute for expert editorial or peer-review judgment.

Failure to Disclose AI Use

Failure to disclose AI or AI-assisted technology use may be considered a publication ethics violation.

Depending on the circumstances, McCoy Press may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification from the author(s);
• Require a corrected AI disclosure statement;
• Require revision of the manuscript;
• Require source documentation or citation verification;
• Reject the manuscript;
• Issue a correction;
• Issue an expression of concern;
• Retract the article;
• Notify affiliated institutions, employers, or relevant oversight bodies where appropriate.

Author Certification

By submitting a manuscript to McCoy Press, the author(s) certify that:

• Any use of artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technology has been fully disclosed;
• No AI tool has been listed as an author or co-author;
• All AI-assisted content has been reviewed, edited, verified, and approved by the human author(s);
• All clinical observations, patient data, outcomes, citations, quotations, images, and conclusions are accurate and properly attributed;
• No AI-generated or AI-assisted material infringes copyright;
• No AI-generated or AI-assisted material violates patient confidentiality;
• No AI-generated or AI-assisted material fabricates data, cases, references, or findings;

The author(s) accept full responsibility for the final submitted manuscript.

Copyright Assignment 

McCoy Press has added the following language to its copyright assignment and author certification forms:

Artificial Intelligence and Originality Certification

“The author(s) certify that any use of artificial intelligence, large language models, chatbots, image generators, or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of this manuscript has been fully disclosed to McCoy Press. The author(s) further certify that no AI tool has been listed as an author; that all AI-assisted content has been reviewed, verified, edited, and approved by the human author(s); that all citations, quotations, data, case facts, patient information, images, and conclusions are accurate and properly attributed; and that no AI-generated or AI-assisted material infringes copyright, violates patient confidentiality, fabricates data, or misrepresents the originality of the work.”

Summary Position

McCoy Press does not prohibit all use of AI-assisted technologies. However, McCoy Press requires transparency, human accountability, protection of patients, preservation of copyright, verification of citations, and protection of the scientific record.

The governing standard is simple:

Disclose it. Limit it. Verify it. Keep humans accountable. Protect patients. Protect copyright. Protect the scientific record.