Journal of Legal Contemplation (JLC) recognizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI), including Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), can assist in certain research, writing, editing, editorial management, legal analysis support, and scholarly communication activities. JLC permits the responsible use of AI provided that such use does not compromise academic integrity, legal reasoning, originality, transparency, confidentiality, citation accuracy, or human accountability in the publication process.

Authors may use AI-based tools for limited and supportive activities, such as checking grammar and spelling, language editing, translation, text organization, or certain technical assistance. AI may also be used as a research-support tool where appropriate, provided that authors independently verify the accuracy, relevance, and legal validity of the information obtained. The use of AI must not replace the author's intellectual contribution, legal reasoning, scholarly judgment, or responsibility for the content of the manuscript. AI tools or systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. All individuals listed as authors must meet the journal's authorship requirements and remain fully accountable for the content of the manuscript.

Authors must disclose the use of Generative AI when AI is used substantively to generate or modify:

• Legal or scholarly text and substantive content;
• Legal analysis, interpretation, or argumentation;
• Research methods, research design, or analytical frameworks;
• Case law, statutory, regulatory, or other legal information;
• Tables, summaries, or other scholarly materials;
• Figures, illustrations, conceptual diagrams, or graphical abstracts;
• References, citations, or bibliographic information;
• Any other part of the scholarly work materially influenced by AI.

The disclosure should, at a minimum, identify the name of the AI tool or platform, its version where available, the purpose of its use, and the section or stage of the research or manuscript in which AI was used. Authors must critically review and independently verify all AI-generated or AI-assisted outputs. Particular care must be taken when AI is used to identify legislation, judicial decisions, legal doctrines, regulations, or other legal authorities, as AI systems may generate inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or non-existent legal references. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, validity, originality, interpretation, and integrity of all legal and scholarly information included in the manuscript.

AI must not be relied upon as an unverified source for identifying or generating legal authorities. Authors are responsible for independently verifying the existence, authenticity, jurisdiction, date, relevance, and legal status of every statute, regulation, court decision, treaty, legal instrument, and other authority cited in the manuscript. AI-generated case names, citations, quotations, statutory provisions, or legal propositions that cannot be independently verified must not be included in the manuscript.

The substantive legal analysis, interpretation, argumentation, and scholarly contribution of an article must remain the responsibility of the authors. AI-generated reasoning must not be presented as the authors' original intellectual contribution without appropriate human evaluation, verification, and disclosure where required. Authors must ensure that the use of AI does not result in plagiarism, unattributed reproduction, misleading legal arguments, or misrepresentation of another person's intellectual work.

Editors may use AI to assist with administrative and supportive editorial tasks, such as language checking, formatting, information organization, preliminary document management, or other appropriate technical tasks. However, AI must not replace editorial judgment, legal-academic assessment, decision-making, or responsibility.

Decisions regarding desk review, reviewer selection, revision requests, acceptance, rejection, and other editorial matters must be made by editors based on academic judgment, relevant legal scholarship, reviewer assessments, and the journal's policies. Such decisions must not be based solely on AI-generated outputs. Editors must also ensure that the use of AI does not result in conflicts of interest, breaches of confidentiality, discrimination, or disclosure of unpublished legal scholarship.

Reviewers may use AI in a limited manner to assist with certain technical aspects, such as language or structural checking of their review report, provided that such use does not compromise manuscript confidentiality, reviewer independence, or the journal's policies.

AI must not replace the reviewer's academic and legal judgment. Assessments of originality, legal reasoning, methodology, legal sources, doctrinal analysis, interpretation, scholarly contribution, and suitability for publication must be conducted by reviewers based on their own expertise and independent academic judgment. Reviewers remain fully responsible for the content of their review reports and recommendations submitted to the journal.

The use of AI does not transfer academic, legal, or ethical responsibility from humans to technology. All individuals using AI in the research or publication process must ensure that its use does not cause or facilitate:

• Fabrication or falsification of information;
• Misrepresentation of legal authorities or scholarly sources;
• Plagiarism or misuse of another person's work;
• Generation of false, inaccurate, or unverifiable legal citations;
• Copyright or intellectual property infringement;
• Violation of privacy or confidentiality;
• Misuse of personal, legal, or research information;
• Manipulation or misrepresentation of legal analysis or scholarly arguments;
• Any other form of research or publication misconduct.

JLC may request authors, editors, or reviewers to provide additional information regarding their use of AI when necessary to ensure transparency, integrity, and accountability in the publication process. Violations of this policy may be considered during the editorial process and may be addressed in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.

When AI is used substantively in the preparation, analysis, or development of legal research, authors must provide an AI use declaration in the manuscript.

If AI was used only for routine language checking or minor language editing, a brief statement may be provided.

If no AI use falls within the categories requiring disclosure under this policy, authors may provide the following statement:

The JLC AI Policy will be reviewed periodically to reflect developments in AI technology, legal research practices, publication ethics standards, best practices in scholarly communication, and relevant policies and recommendations of scholarly organizations, legal institutions, and publishers.