Is it permissible to input peer-review manuscripts into generative AI? The Japan Society for Public Relations Releases Guidelines for AI Tool Use in Research Activities

The Japan Society for Public Relations (JSPR) (Chair: Takaaki Nishii) released its "Guidelines for AI Tool Use in Research Activities" on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. These guidelines cover major aspects of research activities such as research planning, investigation, analysis, manuscript writing, and peer review.

[Key Points]

● Organizes the thinking behind AI tool use in key research activities, from planning and investigation to analysis, manuscript writing, and peer review.

● Explicitly states that AI tools will not be recognized as authors or co-authors, and that authors bear responsibility for the research content.

● Emphasizes the confidentiality of unpublished information, such as peer-review manuscripts, and states that inputting the full text or highly confidential content of manuscripts into cloud-based AI tools is generally not permitted.

● Clarifies responsibilities for declaration, disclosure, and record-keeping regarding the use of AI, including whether it was used, the purpose, scope, and verification methods.

● Applicable from Volume 31 of the society's journal, "Kōhō Kenkyū" (scheduled for publication in March 2027).

(Note) AI Tools: Refers to all information services that use AI to support research activities, manuscript writing, peer review, etc.

AI tools, including generative AI, are increasingly being utilized in various research activities such as exploring research themes, designing surveys, transcribing, summarizing, organizing data, assisting with analysis, and supporting manuscript writing. On the other hand, research ethics issues have also become apparent, including author responsibility, third-party rights, protection of personal and confidential information, handling of peer-review manuscripts, and appropriate disclosure of AI use.

These guidelines do not uniformly restrict the use of AI tools but rather present a basic framework for researchers to use AI appropriately while ensuring the reliability and transparency of their research. Specifically, they clarify that AI tools will not be recognized as authors or co-authors, that authors are responsible for research content regardless of AI use, and that the purpose, scope, and verification methods of AI use must be declared, disclosed, and recorded.

Regarding "peer review" (the process by which a third party evaluates whether a submitted manuscript is suitable for publication), considering that peer-review manuscripts contain unpublished information, inputting the full text or highly confidential content into cloud-based AI tools that may compromise confidentiality is generally not permitted. Furthermore, even when AI tools are used to assist with the peer-review process, the reviewer themselves must make the peer-review evaluation and judgment, and report the usage status.

For cloud-based AI tools, whether input information is stored, viewed, reused, or used for learning varies depending on the service and contract terms. Therefore, inputting unpublished or highly confidential information, such as peer-review manuscripts, into external AI services requires careful handling from the perspective of confidentiality and protection of third-party rights.

The Japan Society for Public Relations is an academic organization where researchers and practitioners jointly study public relations in corporations, government, and various organizations. As a research area with many points of contact with practice, such as joint research, interview surveys, and case studies, it is important to appropriately handle unpublished materials, personal information, and confidential information of companies and organizations.

These guidelines complement the "Research Ethics Statement" (https://www.jsccs.jp/about/ethics-statement.html) published on May 31, 2026, and are positioned as specific operational guidelines for maintaining the reliability of public relations and communication research in the age of AI.

These guidelines will be applied from Volume 31 of the society's journal, "Kōhō Kenkyū" (scheduled for publication in March 2027).

About Updates to These Guidelines

There is no specific expiration date for these guidelines, and they will be updated as needed in response to changes in the situation. The task of updating will be carried out by the consensus of the JSPR President, Research Committee Chair, Journal Editor-in-Chief, and General Affairs Committee Chair.

Details of These Guidelines

The "Guidelines for AI Tool Use in Research Activities" are available on the following website:

https://www.jsccs.jp/about/AI-ethics-guideline.html

《About the Japan Society for Public Relations》

The Japan Society for Public Relations is an academic organization established in 1995 with the aim of systematizing academic and practical research and theories in public relations. As of the end of May 2026, 719 members, including researchers and practitioners, participate.