The SKYHAWK Editorial Team recognizes the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in academic research and scholarly publishing. SKYHAWK allows the responsible use of AI tools while maintaining academic integrity, transparency, originality, and accountability. Authors, reviewers, and editors are responsible for ensuring that the use of AI does not compromise the quality, ethical standards, confidentiality, or integrity of the publication process.

1. Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted tools, including generative AI, for limited purposes such as improving language, grammar, readability, translation, formatting, or assisting with preliminary ideas. However, AI tools must not replace the author's intellectual contribution, critical thinking, analysis, interpretation, or responsibility for the research.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts, including any content generated or modified with the assistance of AI.

AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for the content, disclose conflicts of interest, approve the final manuscript, or accept accountability for the published work.

2. Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies when such tools have contributed substantially to the preparation or development of the manuscript.

The disclosure should identify the AI tool used and explain its purpose. For example:

"The authors used [name of AI tool] to assist with language editing and improving the readability of the manuscript. The authors reviewed and verified all content and remain fully responsible for the final manuscript."

Routine use of basic tools for spelling, grammar checking, or formatting does not necessarily require disclosure unless the AI tool has substantially modified or generated the manuscript content.

3. AI-Generated Content

Authors must carefully verify all AI-generated content before submission. AI-generated text, data, references, citations, images, figures, or other materials must not be presented as original human-generated work without appropriate disclosure and verification.

Authors are responsible for checking AI-generated information for factual inaccuracies, fabricated references, inappropriate interpretations, bias, plagiarism, and other potential errors.

AI must not be used to fabricate or manipulate research data, results, images, references, or other research materials.

4. AI and Academic Integrity

The use of AI does not exempt authors from complying with SKYHAWK's policies on plagiarism, research ethics, copyright, authorship, and originality.

Manuscripts may be subject to similarity checking and editorial assessment regardless of whether AI tools have been used. Authors remain responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted content does not result in plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, copyright infringement, or misrepresentation of sources.

5. Use of AI by Reviewers

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts under review. Reviewers must not upload, copy, or disclose unpublished manuscripts, research data, figures, tables, or other confidential information to publicly available generative AI tools or other AI systems that may retain or process the submitted content.

Reviewers may use AI tools for limited purposes such as language assistance only when confidentiality and journal policies can be fully maintained. Reviewers remain responsible for the content and recommendations contained in their review reports.

AI tools must not be used to generate a review report without appropriate human evaluation and critical assessment.

6. Use of AI by Editors

Editors may use AI-assisted tools for administrative or language-related purposes where appropriate. However, editorial decisions, peer-review assessments, ethical investigations, and publication decisions must remain under human responsibility.

Editors must ensure that confidential manuscript information is not improperly disclosed to AI systems and that the use of AI does not introduce bias or compromise the fairness and integrity of the editorial process.

7. AI as an Author

AI tools, including generative AI systems, cannot be listed as authors or contributors of manuscripts submitted to SKYHAWK. Authorship requires the ability to take responsibility for the work, approve the final version, and respond to questions regarding the research.

All authors must meet the journal's authorship requirements and remain accountable for the content of the submitted and published work.

8. Ethical Responsibility

The responsible use of AI must support, rather than replace, human scholarly judgment. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to use AI transparently, responsibly, and ethically.

SKYHAWK reserves the right to request clarification regarding the use of AI in a submitted manuscript. Undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI that results in plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulation of research findings, violation of confidentiality, or other forms of publication misconduct may result in editorial action in accordance with SKYHAWK's publication ethics policies.

By submitting a manuscript to SKYHAWK, authors confirm that they accept full responsibility for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance of their work, including any content prepared with the assistance of AI tools.