AI Editorial Policy
Athena Health & Research Journal — AI Policy
Purpose
Guide everyone who writes, reviews, or handles our papers.
Scope
Covers all article types and all stages, from submission to final decision.
1. Writing and idea support
Authors may use AI tools to draft ideas, outline sections, or fix wording.
They must read every output, correct errors, and stay liable for all content.
2. Disclosure
Authors must place an AI Use note before the references and list each tool, its version, and the exact task. Additionally, authors must keep private records in case we ask for more detail.
The following statement must be added to the manuscript before the references:
“During the preparation of this study and manuscript, the author(s) used [tool name and version] for the purpose of [purpose description]. The authors declare that they have reviewed and edited the output and accept full responsibility for the content of this publication.“
3. Authorship
Only people can be considered as authors, do not list or cite an AI system as an author.
4. Figures and images
AI-generated or AI-altered visuals are banned. The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing a specific feature within an image or figure in submitted manuscripts is not allowed.
The only exceptions are:
a) Agency images made under a legal contract.
b) Visuals discussed inside papers that study AI itself (case-by-case).
c) Images from domain-trained tools whose data and method can be checked.
Any allowed exception must be signaled with “Created with AI” in the caption.
The ban applies to video, animation, photography, diagrams, and illustrations.
5. Reviewers
Reviewers must not upload manuscripts or portions of manuscripts into generative AI systems, as doing so could compromise author confidentiality and intellectual property rights and may violate data privacy regulations when manuscripts contain personal identifying information.
If AI helped in another way (e.g., checking a citation list without sharing the text), state this in the confidential comments to the editor.
6. Editors
Editors must keep manuscripts out of external AI tools for the same privacy reasons.
Internal, publisher-approved software may be used for screening tasks such as plagiarism checks.
7. Data privacy
Never share unpublished data with AI services that store prompts or outputs outside secure servers.
The journal will review tools for compliance with GDPR and other laws before use.
8. Monitoring
We will revisit this policy every year or sooner if laws change or new risks appear.
