Almost every medical journal now asks whether you used artificial intelligence in preparing your manuscript. Many authors either skip the question or answer it so vaguely that the editorial office sends the submission back.
This article covers what counts as declarable use, where the statement belongs, and gives wording you can adapt.
Four elements every declaration needs: which tool and version, who provides it, precisely what it was used for, and a statement that the authors reviewed the output and take full responsibility for the content. A statement missing the fourth element is incomplete.
What Needs Declaring
Generally requires disclosure:
- Generative AI used to draft, rewrite or restructure any part of the text
- AI language polishing of author written text, at many journals
- AI translation of the manuscript into English
- AI assisted screening, extraction or coding in a systematic review
- AI assistance in writing analysis code
- AI generated figures or illustrations, where the journal permits them at all
- AI assistance in drafting the response to reviewers
Generally does not require disclosure, though this varies:
- Ordinary spelling and grammar checkers built into word processors
- Reference managers such as Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote
- Plagiarism detection software
- Standard statistical software used in the normal way
When the position is unclear, disclose. An unnecessary sentence costs nothing. An omission that surfaces after publication can produce a correction notice attached permanently to your paper.
Where the Statement Goes
Methods when the tool touched the research itself, for example AI assisted screening in a systematic review or AI written analysis code. This is part of what you did, so it belongs where you describe what you did.
Acknowledgements or a dedicated declaration section when the tool touched only the writing. Many journals now have a specifically named section such as Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing.
Cover letter in addition to the above. A single line telling the editor what you used and where it is declared prevents avoidable back and forth.
Never in the author list, and never in the author contribution statement as though the tool were a person. AI tools cannot be authors under any current major policy.
Sample Wording You Can Adapt
Replace the tool name, version and provider with what you actually used, and adjust the description so it is true of your work.
1. Language editing of author written text
During the preparation of this manuscript the authors used [tool name, version] by [provider] in order to improve the clarity and readability of author written text. After using this tool the authors reviewed and edited the content as required and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.
2. Restructuring and drafting assistance
The authors used [tool name, version] by [provider] to reorganise and improve the expression of sections of the discussion drafted by the authors. No content, data, results or references were generated by the tool. All references were verified against the primary sources by the authors, who take full responsibility for the content of the publication.
3. Translation into English
The manuscript was originally drafted in [language] by the authors and translated into English with the assistance of [tool name, version] by [provider]. The authors verified the accuracy of the translation, including all technical and clinical terminology, and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.
4. Screening support in a systematic review, for the methods section
Title and abstract screening was supported by [tool name, version] by [provider]. All records classified for exclusion by the tool were independently reviewed by two authors, and all full text eligibility decisions were made by the authors without automated assistance. Discrepancies were resolved by discussion with a third author. Data extraction was performed manually by two authors independently.
5. Statistical or coding assistance, for the methods section
Analysis was performed in [software and version]. [Tool name, version] by [provider] was used to assist in writing analysis code. All code was reviewed and executed by the authors, all outputs were verified against the source data, and the authors take full responsibility for the analysis and its interpretation.
6. No AI use at all
The authors declare that no generative artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Use the last statement only if it is true across all co authors. Ask them before you write it, because a co author who used a tool for their section and did not mention it turns your declaration into a false statement.
Writing a Statement That Will Not Be Queried
- Name the tool and version. AI tools is not a name. ChatGPT, GPT-4o, OpenAI is.
- Say what it did, in verbs. Improved readability of the discussion. Not assisted with the manuscript.
- Say what it did not do, where relevant, particularly that it generated no data, results or references.
- Take responsibility explicitly. Editors look for this sentence.
- Keep it to two or three sentences. A paragraph of hedging invites questions.
Check your co authors before submitting. The declaration covers the whole author group. If your statistician used a tool to write code and you declared no AI use, the declaration is inaccurate and you signed it. Ask everyone explicitly rather than assuming.
Things That Are Not Fixed by Declaring Them
Disclosure makes permitted use transparent. It does not make prohibited use acceptable. Declaring that AI generated your results does not turn fabrication into a methodology. Declaring that AI produced your clinical images does not make falsified images publishable. Declaring that AI wrote the entire manuscript does not satisfy authorship criteria, because you would not have made a substantial intellectual contribution.
The declaration is the last step of a process that has already stayed within the rules. Our article on using AI in medical research legally covers where those rules sit.
Before You Submit
- Read your target journal current AI policy in the instructions to authors
- Confirm which section they want the statement in
- Ask every co author what they used
- Name tool, version and provider
- Describe the use in specific verbs
- Include the responsibility sentence
- Verify every reference at source, whatever produced the draft
- Mention the disclosure in your cover letter
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to declare AI use if I only used it to fix grammar?
It depends on the journal. Several publishers explicitly exempt basic tools such as spelling and grammar checkers, while others ask for disclosure of any generative AI assistance including language polishing. Because the cost of declaring unnecessarily is nothing and the cost of failing to declare can be a correction notice, the safer default is to disclose briefly and let the editor decide.
Where does the AI declaration go in the manuscript?
Most journals want it in one of three places: a dedicated declaration section near the end, the acknowledgements, or the methods if the tool affected the research process rather than only the writing. Screening support in a systematic review belongs in the methods, because it is part of the method. Language polishing usually belongs in the acknowledgements or a declaration section. Check the instructions to authors, and mention it in the cover letter as well.
What exactly should the statement contain?
Four elements: the name and version of the tool, who provided it, what it was used for in specific terms, and a statement that the authors reviewed and take full responsibility for the content. Vague phrases such as AI was used in preparing this manuscript are usually sent back for clarification.
Can I be penalised for declaring AI use?
Declaring permitted use should not disadvantage your submission. Journals have built disclosure into their workflows precisely because they expect these tools to be used. What creates problems is undisclosed use discovered later, or disclosed use of a kind the journal prohibits, such as AI generated images or AI generated data.
Need Help With Your Submission Statements?
Disclosure statements, cover letters, author contribution statements and journal formatting, handled properly the first time.
Talk to Us →This article is general educational guidance, not legal advice. Journal policies, regulatory rules and institutional requirements change. Always check the current instructions to authors of your target journal and the current guidance of your institution, the NMC and the ICMR before acting.