DBS Journal Generative AI Guidelines

Introduction

The emergence of Generative AI technologies presents both significant opportunities and notable challenges for research. While these tools can streamline research processes and improve efficiencies, they also pose risks to academic integrity and data privacy. For a detailed overview of the constraints and potential inaccuracies of Generative AI technologies, please refer to this University Library Chicago.

This journal defines Generative AI tools as systems that generate content—such as text, images, video, audio, or software code—in response to user prompts written in natural language. These systems generate probabilistic content based on large datasets they have been provided. Examples include ChatGPT for text generation and DALL-E for image creation (IADT, 2026).

These guidelines provide direction for authors, reviewers, and editors of DBS Applied Research and Theory Journal regarding the use of Generative AI . These guidelines cover the submission, peer review, and publication process. Human oversight should remain central to any use of Generative AI by those involved in the publication process. Our primary objective is to uphold the integrity, transparency, and ethical standards essential to scholarly research while offering flexibility to those involved in the publication process.

All parties involved in the publication process (authors, reviewers and editors) must follow the standards laid out in these guidelines as well as the COPE guidance on Generative AI. In addition they should be aware of potential biases in Generative AI tools and take steps to mitigate them, ensuring fair and unbiased use.

Violations of these guidelines may result in being subject to investigation by the editorial board. The Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief are responsible for ensuring compliance with these guidelines.

The area of Generative AI is subject to rapid change so the editorial team will be reviewing these guidelines annually.

Authors and Generative AI

Authors should ensure all submissions strictly adhere to the following guidelines:

• Authors engaged in research must maintain the highest ethical standards in the use of Generative AI, ensuring work is original and authentic.
• Generative AI cannot be listed as an author or cited as an independent source.
• Any Generative AI tools used should be described fully in the methods section. This includes details of the product name, version, company name, the purpose of the use (for instance language editing, literature support, data analysis, coding, content generation, and image generation) and the extent of their human oversight.
• The use of Generative AI tools should be accompanied by citations where appropriate.
• Generative AI cannot be used for translation purposes.
• Authors are solely responsible for all information included in a submission including any content that has been generated by AI. Authors will be asked to confirm that they are responsible for Generative AI-generated or Generative AI-analyzed information during the submission process.
• For guidance on the use of Generative AI images, please refer to the journal copyright notice.
• Locally run Generative AI tools must be used to ensure data privacy, intellectual property, and other rights are respected. Since these tools operate within the local environment, they mitigate risks related to unauthorized future use of information.
• Authors may be requested to share any AI outputs during the review process.

Reviewers and Generative AI

Reviewers should ensure they strictly adhere to the following guidelines:

• Reviewers must uphold the highest ethical standards when using Generative AI in their work, ensuring originality and authenticity. This means Generative AI cannot be used to produce critical analysis or feedback.
• Locally run Generative AI tools must be used to ensure data privacy, intellectual property, and other rights are respected. Since these tools operate within the local environment, they will mitigate risks related to unauthorized future use of information.
• Reviewers may use AI tools exclusively for basic text editing, such as punctuation, grammar, and spelling checks, and only when chat history is disabled. Advanced "Grammarly-style" features—such as “generative rewriting”, "rewrite for clarity," or similar AI-assisted stylistic tools—are strictly prohibited. These features may fundamentally alter the reviewer's academic voice, introduce non-original patterns, or cause contextual distortion.
• Reviewers are encouraged to disclose any details of Generative AI usage in their feedback form to the editor to improve transparency.
• Reviewers must comment on the author's use of Generative AI in a designated section in the peer review form.
• Reviewers should check in the peer review pack for how the author has used Generative AI.
• Reviewers must disclose any use of Generative AI tools to the editor and the author. This includes details of product name, version, company name, the purpose of the use, and the extent of their human oversight.
• Reviewers should be aware of potential biases in Generative AI tools and take steps to mitigate them, ensuring fair and unbiased editorial decisions.
• Reviewers should not upload unpublished manuscripts, review materials, author data, or confidential editorial correspondence into public AI systems.

Editors and Generative AI

Editors should ensure they strictly adhere to the following guidelines:

• Locally run Generative AI tools must be used to ensure data privacy, intellectual property, and other rights are respected. Since these tools operate within the local environment, they mitigate risks related to unauthorized future use of information.
• Editors engaged in research must maintain the highest ethical standards in the use of Generative AI, ensuring work is original and authentic. This means Generative AI cannot be used to produce critical analysis or feedback.
• Authorship rules apply for editors writing the editorial.
• Editors should disclose any use of Generative AI tools to authors and reviewers. This includes details of the product name, version, company name, the purpose of the use, and the extent of their human oversight.
• Editors should be aware of potential biases in Generative AI tools and take steps to mitigate them, ensuring fair and unbiased use.