Before You Submit: How to Use Generative AI Ethically in Academic Publishing
As we move into summer research and publishing projects, questions about how to use generative AI responsibly in academic writing are becoming increasingly important across the campus community.
To help address those questions, Brian Harrell, Writing Center specialist, will present a 40-minute lecture in the NEOMED Library & Writing Center Professional Development Series on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 1 p.m. via Zoom.
The session, titled “Writing with AI in Academic Medicine Publishing: Transparency, Accountability, and Ethics,” will move from the theory of using generative AI in academic writing to practical, ethical ways to use it in peer reviewed journal publishing.
Designed for faculty, students and researchers, this session will explain the nuts and bolts of what authors can and cannot do when using generative AI in academic journal writing and peer review contexts. Drawing on current publisher policies and medical publishing guidance, the presentation will examine how generative AI is being addressed across major academic publishers, including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and SAGE, which together represent more than 12,000 peer reviewed academic journals. Across these publishers, common expectations have emerged: AI cannot be listed as an author, meaningful use of AI must be disclosed, and human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of their work. This is not one man's opinion. These are the policies of the journals we are all submitting to.
In addition to explaining the theory behind generative AI use in academic medicine publishing, the lecture will offer practical examples of ethical use in everyday writing tasks. Topics will include rhetorical analysis of academic journal articles, organization, creating references pages in styles such as AMA, APA, NLM and Vancouver, analyzing language translation, and copy editing for grammar, punctuation and citations. The session will also discuss appropriate disclosure language and reinforce a central principle shared across publishers: generative AI may assist with writing, but it cannot replace human judgment, oversight or accountability.
Everyone is invited to log on. There will be a Q&A as time permits at the end of the session.