Code of Research Ethics Regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
(Enacted in September 1, 2026)

Article 1 (Title)

This regulation shall be referred to as the “Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment Code of Research Ethics Regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).”

Article 2 (Purpose)

In response to the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (hereinafter "AI") in research, manuscript preparation, and peer review, these regulations establish the ethical principles and guidelines that authors and reviewers must observe when submitting and evaluating manuscripts for this journal.

Article 3 (Qualifications and Obligations of Authors)

Paragraph 1 (Author Qualifications): Since authorship entails accountability and responsibility for research findings—which AI cannot assume—AI cannot be credited as an author.

Paragraph 2 (Author Obligations): Authors bear full responsibility for the entire content of a manuscript prepared with AI assistance. They must independently verify the accuracy, completeness, originality, and potential bias of any AI-generated content. If AI is used for purposes specified in Article 4, Paragraph 1 (e.g., literature summarization, data analysis assistance, or code development support), authors must explicitly disclose its use in the manuscript. However, using AI solely for language editing is exempt from this disclosure requirement.

Article 4 (Principles Governing Authors’ Use of AI)

Paragraph 1 (Scope of Permitted and Restricted Use): AI may be used as a supportive tool for research activities, such as summarizing prior literature, assisting with data analysis procedures, or supporting code development. In such cases, authors must disclose detailed information in the manuscript—including the AI model name, version, and type of input data—to ensure reproducibility. The use of AI for language editing (e.g., improving readability or correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation) is permitted. However, AI must strictly remain an auxiliary tool for executing analytical tasks or organizing results. It shall not be used for tasks requiring the author’s scholarly judgment, such as critical interpretation, evaluating research findings, assigning meaning to results, drawing conclusions, or citing references.

Paragraph 2 (Images Generated by AI): Because images generated by AI can raise copyright issues and risk violating research ethics, this journal prohibits their use in principle. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case review for images obtained from entities legally authorized to produce and distribute them, provided they are clearly labeled as “AI-generated.”

Article 5 (Obligations of Editors and Reviewers)

Paragraph 1 (Editors): Editors must verify that submitted manuscripts comply with these regulations. If a manuscript violates these regulations, the responsible editor may reject the submission or request revisions. If a severe violation is identified in a manuscript published after these regulations take effect, the Editorial Board may retract the publication by formal resolution.

Paragraph 2 (Reviewers): Peer review conducted with the assistance of generative AI is strictly prohibited. Generative AI may lack up-to-date information, produce illogical or biased content, and risk inadvertently exposing confidential or proprietary information contained in unpublished manuscripts. Therefore, manuscripts under review must not be uploaded to generative AI systems, and review reports generated by AI shall not be submitted. However, using AI solely to refine or correct the language of a review report is permitted.

Supplementary Provisions

Paragraph 1 (Effective Date): These regulations shall take effect on the date of enactment.