TL;DR

• Disclose AI use transparently, specifically, and in the right section.

• Most journals now require explicit AI disclosure in methods or acknowledgements.

• AI tools cannot be listed as authors under any major publisher policy.

• Different journals have different rules — always check before submitting.

• Vague disclosure is treated the same as no disclosure by many editors.

You used an AI tool while writing your paper. Maybe it helped you rephrase a paragraph. Maybe you used it to check your literature review structure or clean up your abstract. Now you are staring at the submission form and wondering: do I have to say something? And if so, what exactly do I say?

This is one of the most common questions researchers face right now. The rules are newer than most people realise, and they vary significantly between journals and publishers. Getting it wrong, whether by over-disclosing in a confusing way or under-disclosing and hoping no one notices, can affect how your paper is received or whether it is accepted at all.

This guide walks through exactly how to disclose AI use in a research paper, what the major publishers require, where in your paper the disclosure belongs, and what language to use. If you are submitting to a peer-reviewed journal for the first time, read this before you hit submit.

Why AI Disclosure Matters in Academic Publishing

AI disclosure matters because academic publishing is built on accountability. Readers, reviewers, and editors need to know how a paper was produced in order to evaluate its reliability. When AI tools contribute to writing, analysis, or data interpretation, that contribution must be visible so others can assess what it means for the work.

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which sets widely adopted standards for academic publishing, issued guidance in 2023 stating that authors must be transparent about AI use and that AI tools cannot meet the criteria for authorship. COPE's position is that authorship requires accountability, and AI tools cannot take responsibility for the content of a paper. This principle has since been adopted by Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and most other major publishers.

Beyond ethics, there is a practical reason to disclose. Journals are increasingly using detection tools to identify undisclosed AI-generated content. A paper that contains AI-assisted writing without any disclosure can be flagged during peer review or even after publication. Retraction is rare, but it happens. Transparent disclosure protects you.

Understanding the submission process in full helps here. If you are still learning how peer review and journal submission work, the guide on how to submit a research paper to a peer-reviewed journal covers the full process from manuscript preparation to decision.

What the Major Publishers Actually Require

Major publishers require authors to disclose any use of AI writing or editing tools in the methods section, the acknowledgements section, or both, depending on the journal's specific policy. AI tools must not be listed as authors. The disclosure must name the tool used and describe how it was used.

Here is how the largest publishers have framed their policies:

1. Elsevier requires that authors disclose AI and AI-assisted technologies used in the writing process in a dedicated statement. The statement should appear in the methods section or, if the paper has no methods section, in the acknowledgements. Elsevier specifies that authors are responsible for the accuracy of any AI-assisted content and that AI cannot be listed as an author.

2. Springer Nature requires disclosure of any large language model (LLM) use in the methods or acknowledgements. Their policy, updated in 2023, states that authors must describe the AI tool used, the version if known, and the nature of its contribution. Springer Nature journals include Nature, Scientific Reports, and hundreds of specialist titles.

3. Wiley has a similar requirement, asking authors to include a statement in the acknowledgements section if AI tools were used in manuscript preparation. Wiley also prohibits AI authorship and places full responsibility for the content on the human authors.

If you are submitting to a society journal, a university press journal, or an open-access title not affiliated with these publishers, check the journal's author guidelines directly. Many smaller journals have adopted COPE's framework even if they have not published a separate policy page.

If you are still deciding which journal to submit to, the guide on how to choose the right journal for your research paper can help you match your work to the right venue before you worry about submission details.

Where in Your Paper to Place the Disclosure

AI disclosure belongs in the methods section if your paper has one, or in the acknowledgements section if it does not. Some journals ask for both. A few journals have introduced a dedicated AI disclosure field in their submission systems, which appears separately from the manuscript itself.

Here is the general rule by paper type:

1. Empirical research papers (science, social science, medicine): Place the disclosure in the methods section, under a subheading such as "Writing and Analysis Tools" or "AI Assistance." This is where reviewers expect to find information about how the work was conducted.

2. Review articles and literature reviews: If you used AI to assist with searching, summarising, or writing, disclose this in the methods section under your search and selection process. Be specific about which steps involved AI tools.

3. Humanities and social science papers without a formal methods section: Place the disclosure in the acknowledgements. Keep it brief but specific.

If you used an AI tool to help you identify journals for submission or to structure your research workflow, that typically does not require disclosure. The disclosure requirement applies to the content of the manuscript itself, including writing, editing, data interpretation, and figure generation.

If you are working on a paper in a specific discipline, the guidance can differ slightly. For example, the conventions in biology differ from those in computer science. The post on how to publish a computer science research paper covers field-specific expectations that are worth reading alongside this general guide.

How to Write an AI Disclosure Statement

A good AI disclosure statement names the tool, states the version if known, and describes the specific task it performed. It does not need to be long. One to three sentences is enough for most cases. Vague language like "AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript" is not sufficient for most publishers and will likely prompt a reviewer to ask for clarification.

Here are three example disclosure statements at different levels of AI involvement:

1. Light editing use: "The authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI, GPT-4, accessed March 2025) to check grammar and improve sentence clarity in the discussion section. All content was written and verified by the authors."

2. Structural assistance: "The authors used Claude (Anthropic, version 3 Sonnet, accessed February 2025) to assist with restructuring the introduction and literature review. The final text was reviewed, revised, and approved by the authors, who take full responsibility for its accuracy."

3. Broader writing assistance: "Sections of this manuscript were drafted with the assistance of an AI writing tool (GPT-4o, OpenAI, accessed April 2025). All AI-generated text was reviewed and substantially revised by the authors. The authors are fully responsible for the integrity of the work."

Notice that each statement ends with a sentence assigning responsibility to the human authors. This is not optional. It is what publishers require and what editors look for. If you are unsure whether your level of AI use requires disclosure, the safer choice is always to disclose. Transparency is never penalised. Omission sometimes is.

If you want structured guidance on preparing your manuscript for submission, including how to handle disclosures and cover letters, joining the Publication Compass waitlist gives you early access to an AI-powered platform built specifically to help student researchers navigate exactly this kind of preparation.

What Counts as AI Use That Requires Disclosure

Any AI tool that contributed to the written content of your manuscript requires disclosure. This includes writing assistants, grammar tools with generative features, AI-powered paraphrasing tools, and large language models used for any part of the text. It also includes AI tools used to generate figures, analyse data, or interpret results.

What generally does not require disclosure: standard spell-checkers without generative features, reference management software, statistical software packages (unless they use AI-generated interpretation), and AI tools used only to search for literature without contributing to the text.

The line can feel blurry. A tool like Grammarly's basic grammar check is generally not disclosable. Grammarly's generative rewrite suggestions are. When in doubt, check the specific journal's author guidelines or contact the editorial office directly. Most editorial offices respond quickly to short, specific questions about disclosure requirements.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is placing the disclosure in the wrong section. If a journal requires it in the methods and you put it only in the acknowledgements, a reviewer may flag it as non-compliant. Read the author guidelines before you write the statement, not after.

The second most common mistake is listing the AI tool as a contributor in the author list or in the references. AI tools are not authors. They cannot be cited as authors. If you want to reference the tool itself, cite the technical report or paper published by the company that built it, using a standard reference format for your field.

The third mistake is using disclosure language that is too vague to be useful. Saying "AI assistance was used" without naming the tool, the version, or the task is not sufficient. It gives reviewers nothing to evaluate and signals that the disclosure was added as an afterthought.

For a broader view of the full publication journey and where disclosure fits within it, the guide on how to publish a research paper as a student walks through each stage from research question to accepted manuscript.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does using AI to edit my paper count as AI use that needs to be disclosed?

Yes, if the AI tool generated or rewrote any text in your manuscript, that use requires disclosure under most major publisher policies. Using an AI tool to suggest edits that you then accepted and incorporated is considered AI-assisted writing. Name the tool, describe what it did, and confirm that you reviewed and are responsible for the final content.

Can I list an AI tool as a co-author on my paper?

No. COPE, Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and virtually all major publishers prohibit listing AI tools as authors. Authorship requires the ability to take accountability for the work, respond to questions, and approve the final version. AI tools cannot do any of these things. Human authors are fully responsible for all content, including AI-assisted content.

What happens if I forget to disclose AI use and the paper is already submitted?

Contact the editorial office as soon as you realise the omission. Most journals will allow you to add a disclosure statement before peer review begins. If the paper is already under review, contact the editor directly and explain the situation. Proactive correction is handled far better than post-publication discovery. Editors deal with this regularly and respond well to honest, timely communication.

Do all journals have the same AI disclosure rules?

No. Policies vary between publishers and between individual journals within the same publisher's portfolio. Some journals have a mandatory disclosure field in their submission system. Others ask for a statement in the manuscript. A small number have not yet published a formal policy. Always read the author guidelines for the specific journal you are submitting to, not just the publisher's general policy page.

How to disclose AI use in a research paper if I used multiple tools?

Disclose each tool separately in the same statement. Name each tool, state the version if known, and describe what each one was used for. Keep the statement concise but complete. If two tools performed similar tasks, you can group them in one sentence. The goal is to give a reader enough information to understand the role AI played in producing the manuscript.

Getting This Right From the Start

AI disclosure is not a bureaucratic hurdle. It is part of doing research honestly. The standards are clear, the language is straightforward, and following them takes less than a paragraph. What matters is that you do it specifically, in the right place, and before you submit.

If you are navigating the publication process as a student, getting these details right early builds habits that will serve you throughout your research career. For more guidance on every stage of that process, the Publication Compass blog covers everything from choosing a journal to formatting your references, written for researchers who are just getting started.