The Learned Society of KUL and the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, as the publishers of the Roczniki Kulturoznawcze, declare that they adhere to the ethical standards established by COPE regarding the use of AI tools. Additionally, they draw upon the principles developed by ELSEVIER for the use of such tools by editors, authors and reviewers.

Due to the rise of generative AI (GAI) and AI-assisted technologies, which are increasingly used by content creators, we have adopted a number of rules regarding their use. These rules follow from a policy aimed to provide greater transparency and support for authors, reviewers, editors and readers. The Publishers will monitor such developments and will adjust or refine policies when appropriate.

For authors

1. Text

Our editorial team does not recommend authors to use GAI tools for writing papers. However, if they are used reasonably to generate text fragments or collect and analyze data, this must be done under the supervision of the Authors, as AI can create output that may be incorrect, incomplete or biased despite giving the impression of being authoritative and well-researched. Authors should thoroughly verify the content generated using such tools and assume full responsibility for it. Moreover GAI tools cannot be cited as an author or co-author.

2. Images

We do not permit the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or modify submitted images in a way that obviously violates the image content. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable provided that they do not obscure or eliminate any information present in the original.

3. Disclosure

When submitting a manuscript, authors are required to disclose the extent of their use of GAI tools by detailing which tools were used, how they were employed, and to what extent they influenced the work. The preferred declaration format is as follows:

During the preparation of the paper [TITLE], the author(s) used [GAI TOOL NAME] for [REASON]. [DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AI USAGE].

The author(s) then conducted a thorough, critical review of the text, particularly regarding the potential generation of false, incomplete, or biased information, plagiarism, or incorrect/missing attribution, and revised it accordingly. The author(s) fully approve(s) the submitted manuscript, assure(s) that no ethical violations have occurred, and assume(s) full responsibility for the content of the paper.

This statement should be entered in the “Comments for the Editor” field when submitting the manuscript using the submission form on the Journal’s website or as an attachment to the e-mail submission.

Information about the GAI tools used by the author(s) will be shown at the end of the published paper.

Note: the use of AI solely to improve readability and text quality, such as grammar and spell-checking tools, citation software, does NOT require disclosure.

The Editorial Team reserves the right to verify the truthfulness of authors’ declarations using AI detection tools (e.g. iThenticate).

For Reviewers

A researcher invited to review another researcher's paper should treat the manuscript received for review as a confidential document. Reviewers must NOT process any part of the submission with generative AI tools, as this may violate the confidentiality of the authors and property rights. Importantly, it may happen that this technology will generate incorrect, incomplete or biased conclusions about the manuscript. The reviewer only is responsible for the content of the review report.

Reviewers must NOT use AI tools, even if it is only for the purpose of improving the language and style of their reviews, as they may contain confidential information about the manuscript and/or the authors.

For Editors

A submitted manuscript must be treated as a confidential document. Editors should not upload a submitted manuscript or any part of it into a generative AI tool as this may violate the authors’ confidentiality and proprietary rights.

The requirement of confidentiality covers all communications concerning the manuscript, including any notifications or texts containing intra-editorial decisions, because they may contain confidential information about the manuscript and/or the authors. For this reason, editors should not submit their texts to AI tools, even if this is only for the purpose of improving language and style.