AI in publishing: The Geological Society’s position
AI is reshaping the way research is written and reviewed. Here we set out our approach to the responsible use of AI tools in scholarly publishing
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The application of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques (such as ChatGPT and other Large Language Models; LLMs) for research and publishing is growing rapidly. The Society recognises both the opportunities and concerns surrounding the use of AI and supports its responsible use.
AI has the potential to accelerate the research and dissemination process and make it more accessible. However, it cannot replace human judgment or domain experience, and researchers should be alert to the risk of fabrications/hallucinations and confidentiality and copyright concerns.
Contributors using AI tools in the ideation, writing and reviewing of articles should refer to the Society’s continually evolving guidelines and ethical policy for the latest advice on how best to adopt and communicate use.
AI for authors
Transparency in the use of AI tools can bring greater understanding and clarity for reviewers, readers and other researchers looking to build on the ideas communicated.
Where AI tools are used in the ideation and/or research process (such as collection or analysis of data) these should be disclosed in an appropriate section of the article (e.g. the Materials and Methods section), including a description of which tool was used and how.
If AI is used during article or book preparation (for writing, production of images or graphical elements of the article etc.), this may be declared in the Acknowledgments section, where appropriate.
AI does not replicate human thought or critical thinking and, in line with the principles set out by the independent organisation the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE; publicationethics.org), AI cannot be listed or cited as an author. During the article submission process, authors will be asked to confirm use or non-use of AI.
AI in review
The Society does not prohibit the use of AI when creating a review of an article, but it should be used only as a supplemental tool (for example, providing grammatical editing for a reviewer report). AI-generated results intended for use in a final reviewer report should be checked fully and verified by the named reviewer and, as with authorship, an AI tool cannot be listed as a named reviewer.
Articles under review should not be uploaded to LLMs, such as ChatGPT and others, because this risks violating copyright, privacy, security, and confidentiality obligations. When providing a review, reviewers are now asked to confirm that they have not uploaded the article under
review to any LLM.
The development and usefulness of AI tools is progressing rapidly. The Society already employs enhanced research integrity checks and may adopt tools to support the review process. The priority is to maintain the quality and integrity of the process to allow our expert editors and reviewers to focus on the scientific rigour of a submission.
Intellectual property
The Society reserves all rights across our copyrighted and exclusively licensed content, including those for the training and development of AI models. Authorisation for these activities can and must be sought from the Society in advance and licensed appropriately.
Keeping pace
Ultimately, authors and reviewers are fully responsible for the content of their articles and reviews, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics.
The field of AI is evolving rapidly, as does the confidence in its integration in the publication process. We will continue to update and share our specific guidelines directly with contributors and in our Publishing Support Hub. For any queries or concerns, please correspond with the usual Publishing House contact for the relevant journal or book.
Further reading
- The Geological Society Publishing Support Hub; lyellcollection.org/publishing-hub
- The Geological Society Code of Publishing Ethics; lyellcollection.org/publishing-hub/publishingethics#authors
- STEM Association (2025) Recommendations for a Classification of AI Use in Academic Manuscript Preparation. STM Association Task & Finish Group, September 2025; stm-assoc.org
- COPE. Promoting integrity in scholarly research and its publication; publicationethics.org
