AI and Technology Tools in Academic Research: What's Allowed

AI and other research-technology tools can meaningfully speed up literature screening, data cleaning, and drafting — but most journals now expect explicit disclosure of how they were used. As a general rule: tools that assist your own analysis or writing are usually acceptable with disclosure, while tools that generate findings, citations, or text you present as your own original work without review are not. Always verify AI-suggested citations against the original source — fabricated or misattributed references are one of the fastest ways to trigger an integrity investigation. Before submitting, check the specific journal's policy on AI use, since requirements vary — some require a dedicated disclosure statement, others restrict AI tools to specific stages of the research process. When in doubt, disclose the tool, the stage of the project where it was used, and the extent of human review applied to its output.