The Assistant, Not the Author: Confronting the Misuse of Artificial Intelligence in Academic Writing
Editorial Letter
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33005/jdiversemedres.v3i6.357Keywords:
Artificial intelligence, ethical AI use, transparency, AI-generated content, ghostwriterAbstract
Preamble
A fundamental question facing academic publishing today is this: Where do we draw the line between legitimate assistance and unacceptable delegation when it comes to artificial intelligence? As generative AI tools become increasingly integrated into research workflows, the distinction between using AI as a helper and presenting it as a creator has never been more critical or more frequently misunderstood.
As Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Medicosphere, I write to address a growing concern: the misuse of AI in scholarly manuscripts, particularly the tendency to treat AI-generated content as if it were the author’s own work, or worse, to list AI tools as co-authors. This is not a technological problem it is an ethical one. And it demands our immediate attention.
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References
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. April 2025. https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
COPE Council. COPE Position – Authorship and AI. Committee on Publication Ethics. 2024. https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author
Sacco S. The "Migraines" epidemic: Exposing the challenges of artificial intelligence in scientific writing. Cephalalgia. 2025. ;45(8):3331024251365833. doi:10.1177/033310242 51365833
Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Graduate Research and Writing. University of South Carolina. Adopted September 2025.
AI Use Policy. Review of International American Studies. Aligned with COPE
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