Rocky Mountain Geology recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and generative AI tools present both opportunities and challenges for scientific research and scholarly publishing. These guidelines establish expectations for the responsible, transparent, and ethical use of AI tools in manuscript preparation, peer review, and publication.
This policy draws upon best practices from the Seismological Society of America and the Geological Society's Lyell Collection, adapted for the geoscience community served by Rocky Mountain Geology.
Scope Note: For these guidelines, "AI tools" refers to artificial intelligence, machine learning, large language models (LLMs), generative AI, or similar algorithmic technologies used to create, edit, analyze, or augment text, images, figures, code, or data. This definition excludes standard spelling, grammar, reference management, or basic statistical tools embedded in word-processing or analysis software.
Core Principles
Transparency: All use of AI tools that meaningfully contributes to manuscript content, analysis, or presentation must be disclosed.
Accountability: Human authors and reviewers retain full responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and ethics of all submitted content.
Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must not be shared with external AI platforms that compromise peer review confidentiality.
Reproducibility: Methods involving AI must be described with sufficient detail to enable validation and replication.
Authorship Integrity: AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors on any submission.
Guidelines by Role
For Authors
✅ Permitted with Disclosure
Using AI for language editing, grammar correction, or stylistic refinement (disclosure not required)
Using AI to assist in drafting text, generating figures, summarizing literature, or analyzing data (disclosure required)
Employing AI as part of the formal research methodology (full methodological disclosure required)
❌ Not Permitted
Listing an AI tool as an author or contributor
Using AI to fabricate data, generate fraudulent results, or manipulate figures
Submitting AI-generated content without verification of accuracy and scientific validity
📋 Disclosure Requirements
When AI tools are used in substantive ways (see Table 1), authors must:
Disclose use in the Acknowledgments or Data and Resources section of the manuscript
Specify: (a) the tool name, version, and provider; (b) how the tool was used; (c) which portions of the manuscript were affected
Confirm in the submission system that all AI-assisted content has been reviewed, validated, and approved by the human authors
Include in the cover letter a statement describing steps taken to verify AI-generated content where substantial editing or drafting occurred
For Reviewers
🔒 Confidentiality is Paramount
Do not upload manuscripts, supplementary materials, or unpublished data to external AI platforms or LLMs. This constitutes a breach of confidentiality and copyright.
AI tools may be used for personal assistance (e.g., grammar checking of your review text), but the final review content must be authored, verified, and approved by the named reviewer.
AI tools cannot be listed as co-reviewers.
✅ Acceptable Reviewer Use
Using AI to improve clarity or grammar of your written review (after ensuring no manuscript content is shared externally)
Employing AI for personal note-taking or organization, provided no confidential content is transmitted
❌ Unacceptable Reviewer Use
Uploading any part of a submitted manuscript to an AI tool
Submitting an AI-generated review without substantive human authorship, verification, and accountability
For Editors
🔍 Editorial Responsibilities
Verify that AI disclosures are complete and appropriate during initial screening
Request clarification or revision if AI use is inadequately described or raises concerns about integrity
Consult the Editorial Board or Publisher on cases involving novel AI methodologies or ethical uncertainties
Ensure that peer review confidentiality is maintained and that reviewers are reminded of AI-related restrictions
Category of AI Use | Example Activities | Ethical Status | Disclosure Requirement |
Minor / Stylistic Assistance | Grammar correction, spelling checks, rephrasing for clarity, tone adjustment | ✅ Permissible | Not required |
Substantive Text or Content Generation | Drafting sections (Introduction, Methods, etc.), summarizing literature, generating figure captions, creating graphical abstracts | ✅ Permissible with verification OR ⚠️ Permissible with rigorous validation | Required: Disclose in Acknowledgments or Data & Resources section; specify tool, version, and scope of use |
Research & Data Analysis | AI-assisted data collection, preprocessing, modeling, code generation, statistical analysis | ✅ Permissible if methodologically sound OR ⚠️ Permissible with rigorous validation | Required: Full description in Methods; include model architecture, training data, parameters, and limitations; share code/data where feasible |
Image/Figure Generation or Manipulation | Creating synthetic images, enhancing figures, generating maps or visualizations via AI | ⚠️ Permissible with rigorous validation OR ❌ Unacceptable | Required: Disclose tool and process; confirm that outputs accurately represent data; retain original data for verification |
Fabrication or Misrepresentation | Generating fake data, falsifying results, manipulating figures to mislead, plagiarism via AI paraphrasing | ❌ Unacceptable | N/A – Constitutes research misconduct; subject to rejection, retraction and ethical investigation |
Authorship Attribution | Listing an AI tool as author, co-author, or contributor | ❌ Unacceptable | N/A – Violates authorship policy; AI tools cannot assume legal or ethical responsibility |
Table adapted from guidance by the Seismological Society of America, the Geological Society (Lyell Collection), and The Scholarly Kitchen.