Sedimentologika AI-usage guidelines
Authors are responsible and accountable for the contents of their work, and so are reviewers for the content of their review. Sedimentologika AI usage guidelines only allow the use of AI-tools under strict conditions that guarantee scientific integrity, transparency, and confidentiality.
1. AI use for authors
AI-tools, including machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI (such as large language models), may be used to support both the research process and manuscript preparation, if their use is transparent, justified, and carefully controlled.
1.1. AI in research
Research in sedimentology sensu lato is increasingly advancing with the integration of AI-tools to analyse large datasets, conduct advanced image processing, recognising patterns, or modelling, for example. As such, any use of publicly-available AI-tools or software developed by the authors themselves in the research process itself must be acknowledged. We recommend describing such use in the Methods section, and include which tool was used, when, how, and for what purpose. Authors are to make sure that the use of AI tools does not introduce bias or error in their research, while making sure that their research is reproducible.
The use of AI-tools to generate codes for research purposes must also be declared and detailed in the Methods section, as well as in the dedicated “Use of AI statement” after the conclusion chapter. Such disclosure must indicate the name and version of any AI-tool used in the drafting or debugging of any script used in the research presented in the submitted manuscript.
1.2. AI in manuscript preparation
AI tools may assist in editing or organising the text drafted by the authors of the manuscript, but must never replace the authors’ critical thinking. Authors must:
- Ensure compliance with copyright, data privacy, and intellectual property requirements.
- Carefully review and validate all alterations of the original text by AI tools, including editing the proposed modifications to ensure they reflect the authors’ original analysis, interpretation, and ideas.
- Remain fully responsible for the final content of the manuscripts, including supplementary material and appendices.
Sedimentologika supports a limited use of AI-tools by the authors to improve the spelling, grammar, or readability of their submitted manuscript. Such use is considered inclusive, particularly for non-native English authors trying to avoid review comments on their language skills rather than the scientific content of their manuscript.
Sedimentologika does not allow AI-generated images or video-material to be integrated to the submitted manuscript.
Any use of AI-tool in the drafting of the submitted manuscript must be disclosed in the cover letter attached to the submitted manuscript, as well as in a dedicated “Use of AI statement” after the conclusion chapter. Such disclosure must indicate the name and version of any AI-tool used in the drafting of the submitted manuscript.
AI tools must not be listed as authors, as authorship implies responsibilities that can only be fulfilled by humans.
Failure to properly disclose or justify AI-tool use may lead to the rejection of the manuscript by the editorial team of Sedimentologika.
2. AI use for reviewers
Uploading any part of a manuscript to external systems, including large language models or other specialized AI-tools, creates a risk that the content may be reused without authorisation in future AI-training. This raises serious concerns regarding potential plagiarism, access to confidential data, and misappropriation of ideas.Therefore, reviewers must not use online AI-tools to summarise, analyse, or assess submitted manuscripts.
Additionally, reviewers, and particularly those who are not native-English speakers, may want to use AI-tools to improve the readability of their review reports. However, only very limited assistance, such as basic spelling or grammar corrections, is considered ethically acceptable, and therefore, any use of AI-tools for any other purposes are not allowed.
