Journal of Library and Information Science Research (JLISR, ISSN: 2218-3388), published semiannually by the Library Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan), is a leading journal for double blind peer-reviewed research in library and information science in Taiwan. JLISR is committed to ensuring ethics in publication and quality of articles based on the Code of Conduct of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and aim to adhere to its Best Practice Guidelines. Conformance to standards of ethical behavior is therefore expected of all parties involved: Authors, Editors, Reviewers, and the Publisher.
In particular,
Duties of Editors: Editors should evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit. An editor must not use unpublished information in the editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Editors should take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper.
Duties of Reviewers: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviews should be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly with supporting arguments, so that authors can use them for improving the paper. Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
Duties of Authors: Authors should present an objective discussion of the significance of research work as well as sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the experiments. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review articles should also be objective, comprehensive, and accurate accounts of the state of the art. The authors should ensure that their work is entirely original works, and if the work and/or words of others have been used, this has been appropriately acknowledged. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Authors should not submit articles describing essentially the same research to more than one journal. The corresponding author should ensure that there is a full consensus of all co-authors in approving the final version of the paper and its submission for publication.
JLISR Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Policy
JLISR acknowledges the rapid development and increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and AI-assisted technologies in scholarly communication. In alignment with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and JLISR’s commitment to research integrity, transparency, and accountability, the following policy governs the responsible use of GenAI tools by authors, reviewers, and editors.
1. General Principles
GenAI tools (e.g., large language models capable of generating text, images, code, or other content) may be used to assist scholarly work when applied responsibly and with appropriate human oversight. However, such tools must not replace human intellectual contribution, critical thinking, or accountability.
All parties remain fully responsible for the integrity, accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of their work.
For Authors
2. Permitted Use
Authors may use GenAI tools to:
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Improve language clarity, grammar, spelling, and style (similar to copyediting assistance).
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Assist in organizing content or summarizing literature for preparatory purposes.
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Support research processes where AI forms part of the research design (e.g., data analysis), provided such use is transparently described.
GenAI tools must not:
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Fabricate data, references, citations, or research findings.
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Generate substantial scholarly arguments, interpretations, or conclusions without meaningful human intellectual contribution.
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Be used in ways that violate copyright, data privacy, or confidentiality.
3. Disclosure Requirements
Transparency is mandatory.
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If GenAI tools are used to generate new content (e.g., paragraphs of text, tables, figures, code, or other substantive material), authors must disclose:
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The name of the tool,
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The purpose of use,
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The extent of AI involvement,
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The level of human oversight and revision.
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Disclosure should appear in a separate statement (e.g., “AI Use Declaration”) at the end of the manuscript before the references.
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If AI tools are used solely for language editing (grammar, spelling, readability), disclosure is not required.
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If AI is part of the research methodology, full details (tool name, version if applicable, parameters, and reproducibility information) must be included in the Methods section.
4. Authorship
GenAI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.
Authorship implies responsibility, accountability, and the ability to approve the final manuscript—criteria that can only be met by human contributors.
The corresponding author remains responsible for ensuring:
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Full transparency regarding AI use,
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Consensus among co-authors,
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Compliance with JLISR’s publication ethics.
5. Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that AI-generated content does not reproduce copyrighted or previously published material without proper attribution.
AI-assisted writing does not exempt authors from plagiarism screening. Fabricated citations or unverifiable references constitute serious ethical violations.
For Reviewers
Peer review is a confidential and human-centered scholarly responsibility. Reviewers play a vital role in assisting the editors in making editorial decisions and in helping authors improve the quality of their manuscripts through constructive feedback.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, distribute, or discuss the manuscript with others without authorization from the editors.
Reviewers must not upload the submitted manuscript, in whole or in part, to any public or external generative AI (GenAI) system, as doing so may compromise author confidentiality, proprietary rights, and data privacy.
Use of Generative AI Tools
The intellectual assessment of a manuscript—including the analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of its scholarly contribution—must be conducted solely by the reviewer.
Reviewers must not use generative AI tools to generate substantive review reports, scientific evaluations, or editorial recommendations.
Limited use of AI tools may be acceptable for minor assistance, such as improving the English readability of the review text. Any such use must not involve uploading confidential manuscript content and should be disclosed to the editor.
Responsibility and Accountability
Reviewers remain fully responsible and accountable for the content, reasoning, and recommendations presented in their review reports. All evaluations and judgments must reflect the reviewer’s independent scholarly expertise.
For Editors
Editors must not:
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Upload submitted manuscripts, decision letters, or confidential correspondence into public or external GenAI systems.
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Delegate editorial judgment or decision-making to GenAI tools.
Editorial decisions must remain grounded in human expertise, critical assessment, and adherence to JLISR’s double-blind peer review standards.
JLISR may employ secure, publisher-approved AI tools for technical checks (e.g., plagiarism detection or completeness screening), provided confidentiality and data protection are ensured.
Data Protection and Confidentiality
All parties must ensure that the use of GenAI tools:
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Protects confidential and unpublished material.
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Complies with applicable data protection and privacy regulations.
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Does not grant third-party AI systems rights to reuse or retain submitted manuscripts for model training without explicit authorization.
Policy Review
Given the rapid evolution of AI technologies, JLISR will periodically review and update this policy to reflect emerging best practices and international ethical standards.