Governance of AI Writing Tools: A New Priority for Medical Journals

  • Raja D Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research & Education, Kelambakkam, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) - large language models (LLMs) and related tools- has rapidly moved from novelty to ubiquity in academic writing. In less than three years these systems have begun to assist manuscript drafting, editing, literature summarisation and even figure generation. Their speed and fluency promise to lower barriers to publication, improve clarity for non-native English speakers, and accelerate dissemination. At the same time, unchecked use of these tools threatens core principles of scholarly communication:
accountability, accuracy, reproducibility and trust. Medical journals now stand at a crossroads: adopt and govern AI to preserve integrity and accessibility, or risk erosion of the scientific record by inconsistent,
opaque practices.1-5

References

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors. ICMJE

Recommendations. [Internet]. 2024. Available from: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html (Last accessed on 1 Dec 2025).

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authorship and AI tools. [Internet]. 2023 Feb 13. Available from:

https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/authorship-and-ai-tools (Last accessed on 3 Dec 2025).

Published
2026-01-05