Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

Journal of Family Law and Islamic Court

1. Introduction

The Journal of Family Law and Islamic Court recognizes the expanding role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within legal and academic publishing. AI technologies can effectively support authors throughout various stages of legal research and manuscript preparation, including language refinement, case data processing, and workflow efficiency.

Despite these practical benefits, the application of AI tools must be strictly regulated to safeguard academic integrity, originality, transparency, and author accountability. This policy delineates the journal's principles regarding the ethical and responsible use of AI in scholarly writing. It aims to clarify acceptable practices, mitigate potential misuse, and ensure strict alignment with the Core Practices and guidance issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

2. Definition of AI Tools

Within the scope of this policy, AI tools refer to digital technologies or software systems that employ artificial intelligence methods—such as machine learning, natural language processing, or deep learning—to generate, analyze, translate, summarize, or modify text, legal data, numerical statistics, images, or other research-related materials.

Such tools include, but are not limited to:

  • Generative AI systems and large language models (LLMs)

  • Writing assistance, grammar checking, and language-editing software

  • AI-supported data analysis, legal analytics, and visualization platforms

  • Tools used for generating diagrams, figures, or statistical outputs

  • AI-powered literature search, case-law discovery, and reference management tools

3. Guidelines for the Use of AI Tools

a. Permissible Uses

Authors may utilize AI tools for limited, supportive purposes, provided that human oversight, critical evaluation, and ultimate responsibility are maintained. Acceptable uses include:

  • Checking grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation

  • Enhancing clarity, coherence, and the formal academic/legal tone

  • Assisting with citation formatting, bluebook style, and reference organization

  • Conducting preliminary literature searches or broad case-law mapping

  • Supporting, but not substituting, empirical statistical analysis or modeling

  • Producing simple visual materials, subject to ethical sourcing and rigorous author review

Maximum Similarity Threshold: The maximum acceptable AI-written text similarity score, as detected by Turnitin or comparable verification platforms, is 20 percent. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold must be revised by the authors before further consideration.

b. Prohibited Uses

AI tools must not be employed to:

  • Produce complete manuscripts or substantial original sections without meaningful human authorship and critical scholarly evaluation

  • Fabricate, manipulate, or falsify research findings, empirical data, images, or legal precedents/jurisprudence

  • Translate complex legal texts without careful, manual human verification and contextual adaptation

  • Automatically paraphrase or summarize existing publications in a manner that constitutes plagiarism

  • Generate content that violates copyright laws or reproduces protected materials without proper authorization

4. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors bear sole and full responsibility for all materials submitted to the Journal of Family Law and Islamic Court, including any content created, augmented, or modified using AI tools. Authors are strictly required to:

  • Confirm the accuracy, originality, and validity of all AI-assisted content

  • Ensure that manuscripts are entirely free from plagiarism, bias, factual inaccuracies, and AI hallucinations

  • Properly cite any external sources, datasets, or identifiable materials suggested or generated by AI

  • Accept full accountability for ethical issues, errors, legal misinterpretations, or omissions arising from AI use

  • Carefully review and edit all AI outputs to meet rigorous academic, legal, and disciplinary standards

5. Authorship and AI

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship is strictly restricted to human individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research and who can assume legal and ethical responsibility for the work.

Any attempt to credit AI tools in authorship lists, contribution statements, or author acknowledgments is prohibited and may result in immediate rejection or post-publication retraction.

6. Disclosure Requirements

Authors must clearly and transparently disclose the use of AI tools when their application extends beyond basic language editing or routine formatting assistance. Disclosures must explicitly specify:

  1. The name, version, and provider of the AI tool used

  2. The exact purpose, scope, and extent of its use within the research

  3. A formal statement affirming the author’s ultimate responsibility for all AI-assisted content

7. Placement of Disclosure Statements

Depending on how the AI tool was utilized, disclosure information must be included in one or more of the following sections:

  • Methods: When AI tools contribute to empirical data analysis, coding, modeling, legal analytics, or other methodological components.

  • Acknowledgments: When AI tools are used strictly for language editing, translation, or mechanical formatting support.

  • Dedicated Disclosure Section: Authors are strongly encouraged to add a separate section titled "Declaration of AI Tool Usage", formatted as follows:

    "During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors utilized [AI Tool Name, Version, and Provider] for [describe the specific purpose and extent of use]. All outputs generated with AI assistance were carefully reviewed, verified, and edited by the authors to ensure accuracy, legal clarity, and compliance with academic standards. The authors assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of this manuscript."

8. Editorial and Peer Review Oversight

Editors and peer reviewers will evaluate AI disclosures as an integral part of the ethical and methodological assessment of submissions. If inappropriate, deceptive, or undisclosed AI use is suspected, the editorial office reserves the right to:

  • Request formal clarification or manuscript revision from the authors

  • Reject the submission immediately

  • Initiate institutional notification or a formal investigation in cases of suspected academic misconduct

The Journal of Family Law and Islamic Court does not rely exclusively on automated AI-detection software. All definitive assessments involve human judgment, critical evaluation, and direct communication with the authors.

9. Consequences of Policy Violations

Non-compliance with the stipulations of this policy may lead to:

  • Desk rejection at any stage of the peer review or publication process

  • Formal retraction of published articles

  • Official notification sent to the author’s affiliated institution or dean

  • Strict restrictions/bans on future submissions to the journal in cases of serious or repeated misuse

10. Appeals and Dispute Resolution

Authors who disagree with editorial decisions regarding AI usage may submit a formal, written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals must clearly state the grounds for disagreement, provide objective supporting evidence, and reference specific sections of this policy. Appeals will be reviewed internally or, when necessary, referred to an independent COPE advisor for arbitration.

11. Use of AI by the Editorial Team

The editorial board of the Journal of Family Law and Islamic Court does not employ AI tools to make independent editorial decisions or peer review evaluations. Any future implementation of AI tools to support administrative or editorial processes will be transparently disclosed and will always require human oversight, final evaluation, and qualitative judgment.

12. Policy Review and Updates

Given the rapid technological advancements in artificial intelligence, this policy will be periodically reviewed and updated. Authors are strongly encouraged to consult this document prior to submission and to contact the editorial office if clarification is needed regarding compliant AI usage.

13. Ethical Framework

This policy is firmly grounded in the ethical standards and recommendations issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Compliance with these principles is a mandatory prerequisite for manuscript submission and publication in the Journal of Family Law and Islamic Court.