Generative AI Policy

Authors are required to disclose the use of generative AI in the writing process when submitting a paper to Educational Technology in Developing Countries (ETDC). The following guidelines specifically pertain to the writing process and do not address the use of AI tools for data analysis or research insights:

• Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may only be utilized to enhance the readability and language of the manuscript.
• These tools must be utilized under human supervision, with authors meticulously reviewing and editing the results, as AI can generate seemingly authoritative content that may be inaccurate, incomplete, or biased. Authors retain full responsibility and accountability for the content of their work.
• AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be listed or cited as authors or co-authors, as authorship entails responsibilities that can only be fulfilled by humans.

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by including a statement at the end of the manuscript upon initial submission. This statement will be included in the published version of the paper and should be placed in a new section before the references. An example of the required format is as follows:

• Title of New Section: Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process
• Statement: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) utilized [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] for [REASON]. After utilizing this tool/service, the author(s) conducted a comprehensive review and made necessary edits to the content, thereby assuming full responsibility for the final version of the published article.

This declaration is not required for the use of basic tools, such as grammar or spelling checkers and reference managers. If no generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were utilized, no statement is necessary.

Note: To safeguard the confidentiality and intellectual property rights of authors, Educational Technology in Developing Countries (ETDC) currently prohibits the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools, such as ChatGPT, by reviewers or editors during the peer review and manuscript evaluation process. The journal is exploring compliant AI tools and may update this policy in the future.