MDPI supports the transparent and ethical use of generative AI in scholarly publishing. While AI tools may assist in writing, their use must be disclosed if they contribute to content creation. Human authors remain fully responsible for all submitted work, and AI use during peer review is subject to strict confidentiality standards.
1. Disclosure of AI Use
If generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT or other LLMs) are used to generate any part of the manuscript, authors must:
• Disclose use in the Acknowledgments section
• Provide a detailed explanation in the Materials & Methods section
Suggested disclosure format:
“During the preparation of this manuscript/study, the author(s) used [tool name, version] for [description of use]. The authors have reviewed and edited the output and take full responsibility for the content of this publication.”
Not Required:
Disclosure is not necessary for AI used solely for text polishing, such as: Grammar, spelling, formatting and sentence structure
2. Author Accountability
Authors retain full responsibility for all aspects of the manuscript, including any AI-generated content.
This includes ensuring compliance with:
• Plagiarism policies
• Data fabrication restrictions
• Image manipulation rules
• Intellectual property rights
All content must reflect originality, accuracy, and ethical integrity, regardless of AI involvement.
3. Authorship
• Generative AI tools or LLMs cannot be listed as authors.
• Authorship is limited to individuals who can take ethical and legal responsibility or contribute meaningfully and accountably to the work
MDPI permits the responsible use of generative AI tools in manuscript preparation, provided that full disclosure is made. If authors use tools like ChatGPT or other LLMs to generate content, they must explicitly acknowledge this and provide a detailed explanation of how the tool was used in the Materials & Methods section.
For basic language editing tasks (e.g., correcting grammar, punctuation, structure, or formatting) no disclosure is required.
Authors are fully accountable for all manuscript content, including any generated with AI assistance. They must ensure that the work complies with MDPI’s ethical standards, including avoiding plagiarism, data or image manipulation, and violations of intellectual property.
AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as they do not meet MDPI’s criteria for authorship or legal accountability.
For more information, visit:
AI and Authorship: MDPI's new guidelines