Artificial Intelligence Use Policy

The Revista de Sanidad Militar (RSM) recognizes the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, both generative and non-generative, in the processes of scientific research, writing, and evaluation. This policy constitutes the overarching framework that regulates the use of these tools across all sections and editorial processes of the journal, and its application is mandatory for authors, reviewers, and the editorial team.

This policy is interpreted in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the principles of integrity, transparency, and responsibility that govern biomedical publishing.

General Principle and Responsibility

The use of artificial intelligence tools is conceived exclusively as technical support under expert human supervision. Under no circumstances may AI substitute scientific, clinical, or editorial judgment, nor assume academic, ethical, or legal responsibilities.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of manuscripts. The responsibility for the originality, veracity, integrity, and traceability of the submitted content—including text, data, images, and references—rests fully with the authors, reviewers, and editors, as applicable.

Permitted Uses

The use of artificial intelligence tools is permitted solely as technical support in tasks such as copyediting, translation, preliminary organization of information, or computational support in data analysis, provided that such use does not compromise the scientific or clinical integrity of the content and remains under direct human control.

Prohibited Uses

Under no circumstances will the use of artificial intelligence tools be permitted to fabricate, simulate, or generate clinical, experimental, or statistical data; alter clinical evidence or information; produce clinical diagnoses, treatments, prognoses, inferences, or recommendations; substitute scientific or clinical reasoning in methodological design, the interpretation of results, or the formulation of conclusions; generate, in whole or in part, editorial or academic peer reviews; or substantiate editorial or scientific evaluation decisions.

Any use of AI that contravenes these provisions will be considered incompatible with the journal's principles of editorial integrity.

Transparency and Declaration of AI Use

Any use of artificial intelligence tools, generative or non-generative, must be explicitly declared by the authors, in accordance with the Guidelines for Authors. The declaration must indicate, where applicable, the tool used, its purpose, and the sections of the manuscript in which it was employed.

To this end, authors must complete the Declaration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use. The omission, falsification, or inconsistency of this declaration may result in editorial actions in accordance with the journal's policy.

When the use of artificial intelligence tools has impacted the preparation of the manuscript, the declared information may be made visible to readers as part of the editorial notes, article metadata, or informational sections associated with the publication, in accordance with editorial transparency practices and international open access publishing guidelines.

Data Protection, Confidentiality, and Sensitive Material

Authors, reviewers, and editors must ensure that the use of artificial intelligence tools does not involve the transfer of personal, clinical, or sensitive data to unauthorized platforms.

In particular, extreme caution must be exercised when using artificial intelligence tools that operate via external commercial services or cloud platforms. Under no circumstances is it permitted to upload full manuscripts, clinical data, medical images, or sensitive information to platforms whose terms of use involve the storage, reuse, or training of models with such content, without express institutional authorization and the corresponding ethical consents.

The use of AI must be compatible with informed consents and the approvals of the respective ethics committees. Under no circumstances will the use of AI tools be permitted to modify medical or clinical images in a way that alters their scientific or clinical interpretation.

Use of AI in Editorial and Peer Review Processes

During the editorial review and academic peer review processes, the use of artificial intelligence tools is strictly limited to non-substantive auxiliary tasks, such as text similarity detection, formal verification of editorial requirements, or preliminary orthotypographic review. Under no circumstances may AI be used to evaluate thematic relevance, assess academic or scientific quality, determine intellectual originality, or substantiate editorial decisions or academic reviews.

Reviewers must refrain from entering manuscripts, data, images, or any confidential information from the evaluation process into external artificial intelligence tools. The personal use of AI tools by reviewers, solely for non-substantive tasks supporting the reading or comprehension of the text (such as translation or linguistic correction), must be carried out under the same principles of confidentiality, responsibility, and data protection that govern the academic peer review process.

Editorial Consequences

The improper or undeclared use of artificial intelligence tools may lead to editorial actions including, but not limited to, a request for clarifications or corrections, rejection of the manuscript, correction or retraction of the article, and notification to the authors' affiliated institutions, in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the provisions of the Revista de Sanidad Militar's editorial policy.

The editorial policy guidelines related to the use of Artificial Intelligence tools are formulated in coherence with the good editorial practices promoted by international organizations regarding open access, ethics, and integrity in scientific communication, including the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).