YOUR GO-TO INTELLIGENCE RESOURCE FOR THE SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

MDPI, a leading open access publisher, has released updated guidelines on authorship in relation to artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs). The guidelines recognize the challenges that the introduction of generative AI tools presents to the concept of authorship and emphasize the responsibility of authors to ensure the validity, originality, and integrity of the content of their manuscripts.

While acknowledging the potential benefits of AI in academic writing, the guidelines state that tools such as the AI chatbot ChatGPT do not meet the criteria for authorship and cannot be listed as authors on manuscripts. The responsibility for the content produced by AI tools lies solely with the authors.

To maintain transparency, authors are required to declare the use of AI technology in the "Acknowledgments" section of their manuscript and describe in detail how the tools were used in the "Materials and Methods" section. The updated guideline aligns with the position statement on the use of AI and AI-assisted technology in manuscript preparation from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which emphasizes the accountability of authors for the content of their manuscripts, even those produced by AI tools.

MDPI recognizes the challenges that the emergence of AI tools creates in the academic publishing industry. The updated guideline ensures that the academic community understands the limitations and ethical responsibilities related to the use of AI tools in scholarly writing, enabling researchers to use the technology in a transparent and responsible manner.