AI Tools Usage Policy

1. Introduction

Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah recognizes the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary scholarly publishing, including in the fields of Islamic law, sharia, legal studies, and social institutions. From improving language clarity to facilitating data analysis and assisting in organizing literature, AI tools can support authors and enhance productivity.

However, the use of AI must be carefully managed to uphold academic integrity, originality, transparency, accountability, and respect for both legal and religious-ethical standards. This is particularly important for manuscripts that engage with sacred texts, Islamic legal reasoning (ijtihād), and socio-legal analysis.

This policy outlines the journal’s position on the ethical and responsible use of AI tools in manuscript preparation. It aims to provide clear boundaries, prevent misunderstandings, and align with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)’s Core Practices and discussion documents on AI in decision-making.

2. Definition of AI Tools

For the purposes of this policy, AI tools refer to digital systems, platforms, or software that use artificial intelligence techniques—such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and deep learning—to generate, analyze, translate, summarize, or modify textual, numerical, visual, or audio data in a research context.

Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other large language models (LLMs)
  • Writing and grammar tools such as Grammarly, DeepL Write, and Quillbot
  • AI-based data analysis and visualization software
  • AI systems used to create images, graphs, or statistical models
  • Literature review and citation generators powered by AI

This definition covers AI usage in all sections of a manuscript, including legal analysis, interpretation of religious texts, socio-legal discussion, and empirical research.

3. Acceptable Use of AI Tools

Authors may use AI tools for specific purposes if the following conditions are met.

a. Permissible Uses

AI tools may be used to:

  • Check grammar, spelling, and punctuation
  • Improve linguistic clarity, style, and tone
  • Assist in formatting references and citations
  • Conduct initial (non-exhaustive) literature searches
  • Support, but not replace, statistical analysis or modeling
  • Generate basic visual aids or illustrations (if ethically sourced and critically reviewed)
  • Assist with language editing for non-native speakers, provided that authors carefully review the output

The journal may use AI writing detection as one of several tools to safeguard academic integrity. As a general guideline, the maximum Turnitin AI-writing detection result is 20%. Authors are required to adjust their manuscripts if the AI-generated portion is deemed excessive or raises concerns regarding originality and authorship.

b. Restricted Uses

AI tools must not be used to:

  • Generate entire manuscripts or substantial portions of the original scholarly argument (e.g., full sections of legal reasoning, istinbāṭ al-ḥukm, or tafsir-based analysis) without proper attribution and critical review
  • Fabricate or falsify data, images, statistics, legal cases, or fatwa references
  • Translate texts (especially classical Arabic texts, turāth, legal documents, or court decisions) without human verification by a competent scholar or professional
  • Automatically summarize or rephrase published works in a way that constitutes plagiarism or “patchwriting”
  • Create content that infringes on copyright or reproduces identifiable materials from third parties without permission
  • Generate religious or legal verdicts (fatwa-like statements) that are presented as authoritative without clear human scholarly accountability

4. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are solely responsible for all content submitted to Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah, including content created or modified using AI tools. Authors must:

  • Verify the accuracy, originality, and reliability of all AI-assisted content
  • Ensure the absence of plagiarism, bias, factual errors, or “hallucinations”
  • Carefully check quotations from primary sources (Qur’an, Hadith, classical fiqh texts) and legal materials; these may not be taken from AI outputs without verification
  • Attribute any external data, sources, or identifiable materials used or suggested by AI
  • Accept full responsibility for any errors, omissions, or ethical breaches resulting from AI-assisted work
  • Review and critically edit all outputs from AI tools to ensure they meet scholarly, legal, and religious-ethical standards

5. Authorship and AI

AI tools cannot be credited as authors or co-authors. Authorship is limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research and who can be held accountable for its content.

Including AI tools in the list of authors, author notes, or author contribution statements is strictly prohibited and may result in desk rejection or retraction.

6. Disclosure Requirements

Authors must provide full and transparent disclosure if AI tools were used beyond basic, permissible uses such as spelling and grammar checking.

Disclosure must include:

  • The name, version, and developer or provider of the AI tool used
  • A clear description of the purpose and extent of its use
  • A statement confirming that the authors reviewed and take responsibility for all AI-assisted content

For manuscripts involving sensitive religious-legal interpretation or empirical fieldwork, disclosure of AI use is particularly important to maintain transparency and trust.

7. Location of Disclosure in Manuscripts

Depending on how AI tools were used, disclosure must appear in one or more of the following sections:

a. Methods Section

If the tool contributed to:

  • Data analysis (quantitative or qualitative)
  • Figure, table, or model generation
  • Coding, text mining, or corpus analysis
  • Systematic or structured literature review processes

b. Acknowledgments Section

If the tool was used to:

  • Improve writing quality (language polishing)
  • Assist with translation that was subsequently checked by the authors
  • Help formatting citations and references

c. Dedicated Statement Section

Authors are strongly encouraged to include a separate section titled “Declaration of AI Tool Usage” with language such as:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [insert AI tool name, version, and developer] for [provide a clear description of the purposes and the extent of its use]. All AI-generated outputs were critically reviewed and thoroughly edited by the authors to ensure factual accuracy, legal and religious appropriateness, clarity of expression, and compliance with academic standards. The authors take full responsibility for the integrity and content of this manuscript.”

8. Editorial and Peer Review Oversight

Editors and peer reviewers of Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah will evaluate AI disclosures as part of the manuscript’s ethical and methodological assessment. If undisclosed or inappropriate AI use is suspected, the editorial office may:

  • Request clarification or revision from the authors
  • Reject the manuscript
  • Refer the case to the author’s institution or initiate a formal investigation if misconduct is suspected

Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah will not rely solely on automated detection software to assess the origin of content. All assessments will involve human oversight, scholarly judgment, and direct communication with authors.

9. Consequences of Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with this policy may result in:

  • Rejection of the manuscript at any stage of review
  • Retraction of the article after publication
  • Notification of the author’s institution in cases of suspected misconduct
  • Temporary or permanent banning of future submissions by the author in cases of severe or repeated misuse

10. Appeals and Dispute Resolution

If an author disputes an editorial decision related to AI usage, they may submit a formal written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief of Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah. The appeal must:

  • Clearly explain the nature of the disagreement
  • Include evidence supporting the claim
  • Refer explicitly to this AI Usage Policy

Appeals will be reviewed by an internal ethics panel and, if necessary, may be referred to an independent COPE consultant or external advisor.

11. Use of AI by the Editorial Team

Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah does not use AI tools to make autonomous editorial or peer review decisions. Any future use of AI by the editorial team (e.g., for technical checks, language flagging, or reference verification) will be:

  • Disclosed transparently in the journal’s information pages, and
  • Always subject to human verification and final decision-making by editors and reviewers.

The journal will not delegate final acceptance, rejection, or ethical judgment to AI systems.

12. Policy Updates and Author Guidance

As AI technologies evolve, this policy will be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect new risks, benefits, and community standards, particularly in the fields of Islamic law, legal studies, and social sciences.

Authors are advised to:

  • Consult this policy before submitting a manuscript
  • Check for updated guidelines on the journal’s website
  • Contact the editorial office if unsure whether their use of AI tools is compliant with this policy

Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah encourages authors to embrace responsible innovation while maintaining commitment to ethical research, integrity, and respect for both academic and religious norms.

13. Ethical Framework and References

This policy is based on ethical guidelines and recommendations from international organizations and editorial bodies. Authors are expected to adhere to these standards as a condition of submission to Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah.

Key references include (non-exhaustive):