Policies on the use of AI

México y la Cuenca del Pacífico adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the principles outlined in the Heredia Declaration: Principles on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Publishing, regarding the ethical, responsible, and transparent use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools throughout its editorial processes.

 General Principles

  • Authorship, peer review, and editorial decision-making are exclusively human responsibilities.
  • The use of AI tools must be explicitly and transparently disclosed.
  • The use of AI does not exempt authors, reviewers, or editors from their ethical or academic responsibilities.

 

Use of AI by Authors

The use of AI tools is permitted for tasks that enhance creative or empirical work (e.g., data analysis, AI-assisted literature review, or writing support), provided that such use is disclosed and does not replace the author's intellectual contribution. In all cases, authors assuming responsibility for a manuscript are responsible for verifying the quality and accuracy of any work performed with AI assistance.

Authors must disclose whether AI was used during the preparation of the manuscript at the time of submission. If AI was used, they must provide the following information:

  • The AI model, version, and date of use.
  • The stage of the research process in which it was used.
  • The specific purpose(s) for which it was used.
  • The section(s) of the manuscript in which it was used.
  • Any other relevant information.

The use of AI does not relieve authors of their responsibility for the originality, validity, integrity, and scholarly rigor of their work. In the event of disputes arising from the use of AI, responsibility rests solely with the corresponding author who submitted the declaration, and not with the journal or its publishing institution.

Sanctions for Undeclared Use of AI

  • If an author falsely declares that no AI tools were used and such use is detected either during the peer-review process or after publication, the author will receive a formal warning.
  • The author will be required to revise the manuscript and provide a transparent disclosure of the use of AI in the corrected version.

 

Use of AI by Reviewers

Peer review must remain a human, ethical, and responsible activity. AI may assist with ancillary tasks but must not replace expert judgment.

The use of generative or AI-assisted systems, tools, or applications—in any form—for the preparation, in whole or in part, of peer-review reports, comments, observations, recommendations, or any other material constituting part of the peer-review process is strictly prohibited.

 

Use of AI by the Editorial Team

The editorial team reserves the right to request additional clarification regarding the use of AI at any stage of the editorial process.

AI may be used as a tool for data analysis, trend and indicator assessment, report generation, and the production of promotional and outreach materials.

Given the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, the journal reserves the right to update this policy periodically to ensure its alignment with international best practices in scholarly publishing.

 

Resolution of Disputes

Any disputes arising from matters covered by this policy will be resolved in accordance with COPE guidelines, and additional guidance may be adopted as it becomes available. In all such cases, the Editorial Committee will be notified and involved in the resolution process, and final decisions will be made with the appropriate institutional endorsement.