Effective Date: [13th February 2026]

Curly Publishing recognises that large language models (LLMs) or generative AI have changed the publishing industry. AI offers opportunities for accelerated research, mapping and manuscript development. While they transform writing processes, they are unable to replicate human creativity and critical thinking. As part of Curly Publishing’s terms and condition, we have distinguished various uses for AI and related technologies as follows:

1. Assistive (disclosure not required),

2. Generative (requiring disclosure)

3. Prohibitive (determined to be a prohibitively high percentage of AI)

1. AI assistance (no disclosure required)

We recognise that AI- assisted writing has become more common as the technology becomes more accessible. AI tools that make suggestions to improve or enhance your own original work, such as tools to improve language, grammar, or structure. We consider these uses as Assistive AI tools and do not require disclosure by clients/authors or reviewers. However, clients/authors are responsible for ensuring their submission is accurate and meets the in-house standards held in our terms and conditions for self-publishing, and more generally, industry publishing standards.

2. AI generated (disclosure required)

The primary or partial use of AI tools and/or LLMs that produce content such as references, text, images, or any other content that directly impacts the research methodology, analysis, results and/or conclusions, must be disclosed upon submission so the editorial team can evaluate the content generated. Clients should cite original sources, rather than Generative AI (GenAI) tools as primary sources within the references. It may be appropriate to cite GenAI tools when they have been used to create images or visualisation as representative contributions rather than original.

Understanding that LLMs may have generated false content, including getting facts wrong or generating citations that don’t exist, clients must take steps to verify the accuracy of all outputs and check the original sources.

Consider the following as appropriate uses for GenAI in research publishing that will require disclosure within the methods or acknowledgements:

1. Assistance with literature review or compilation of relevant sources

2. Translation of materials as part of the research process for your manuscript

3. Using software or code generated by AI to undertake additional research

4. Assistance in research data visualization

5. Generation of representative illustrations or infographics

6. Code enhanced or checked for errors by AI assistance

7. Assistance with compilation of references

3. Prohibited use of AI

While submissions will not be rejected solely because of the disclosed use of GenAI tools, if Curly Publishing becomes aware that GenAI was inappropriately used in the preparation of a submission without disclosure, the editor reserves the right to reject the submission at any time during the publishing process. Curly Publishing’s policy on the use of AI technology has been developed to assist authors, reviewers and editors to make good judgements about the ethical use of such technology. Reviewers using ChatGPT or other GenAI tools to generate review reports inappropriately will not be invited to review for our writers and their review will not be considered in manuscript development decisions. Authors, reviewers and editors must not make sole use of ChatGPT or other GenAI to generate query letters, or summaries of the unpublished manuscript. Curly Publishing reserve the right to withdraw services at the expense of the person submitting such documents, if found to be in breach of this requirement.

Inappropriate use of GenAI includes:

1. Generation of incorrect text or content

2. Generation of data or submission using a series of prompts

3. Conducting interviews with GenAI tools in lieu of participants for qualitative research

4. Analysis of experiences and themes

5. Plagiarism or inappropriate attribution to prior sources

6. Generated images that are presented as unique or novel images

7. Fabricated references or falsified claims

8. Stand-alone use of GenAI tools for editorial work

4. Undisclosed use of AI/LLM tools

If Curly Publishing suspects the inappropriate or undisclosed use of GenAI in a submission, concerns will be flagged for editorial review. If suspicions that the use of GenAI in a submitted manuscript are upheld, the client will be informed of the editors concerns in writing and an editorial assessment of the manuscript will be undertaken. If the assessment finds in favour of the original suspicion, this will constitute a breach of contract and the result will be the withdraw of services with no financial refund or redress.