Plagiarism & AI Policy

The Employee Relations Law Journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, originality, transparency, and responsible research and publication practices. All authors are expected to submit manuscripts that are their original work and to comply with accepted standards of scholarly conduct. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and other automated technologies must not compromise the originality, accuracy, transparency, authorship, or integrity of submitted or published research.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Authors may use artificial intelligence and AI-assisted tools for limited purposes such as improving language, grammar, spelling, readability, formatting, or assisting with routine research-related tasks, provided that such use does not replace the author's intellectual contribution and responsibility for the manuscript. AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, ethical compliance, or final content of a scholarly publication.

Authors remain fully responsible for everything submitted to the journal, including text, data, figures, tables, references, interpretations, analysis, conclusions, and citations, regardless of whether any part of the work was assisted by an AI tool. Authors must carefully verify AI-generated or AI-assisted content because AI systems may produce inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, fabricated, or improperly attributed information, including incorrect references and citations.

The use of generative AI to create substantial portions of the manuscript's scholarly content, research arguments, analysis, interpretation, conclusions, or other substantive intellectual contributions should be disclosed to the journal. Where AI tools have been used in a material way, authors should provide an appropriate statement describing the tool used and the nature and purpose of its use. Routine use of AI-based spelling, grammar, or language-editing tools may not require disclosure unless otherwise required by the journal.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate or manipulate research data, generate false references, create misleading evidence, alter research results, impersonate authors or reviewers, or otherwise interfere with the integrity of the editorial and peer-review process. Authors must also take reasonable care not to upload confidential manuscripts, unpublished research, personal information, proprietary information, or sensitive peer-review materials to external AI systems where doing so could compromise confidentiality or privacy.

Reviewers and editors must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and unpublished material received through the journal. They should not upload confidential manuscript content into publicly accessible or third-party AI systems when such use could compromise the confidentiality of the peer-review or editorial process.

Plagiarism Policy

The Employee Relations Law Journal considers plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct to be serious violations of scholarly integrity. Plagiarism includes presenting another person's words, ideas, arguments, data, figures, results, or other intellectual contributions as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement. This includes direct copying without quotation and citation, inappropriate paraphrasing, substantial duplication of previously published material, and use of another person's work without proper attribution.

Authors are required to ensure that their submitted manuscripts are original and appropriately acknowledge all sources used in the preparation of their work. All quotations, paraphrased material, data, theories, concepts, figures, tables, and other contributions originating from external sources must be appropriately cited and referenced.

The journal may use plagiarism-detection or similarity-checking software as part of its editorial screening process. A similarity report may be reviewed by the editors to determine whether the identified overlap represents legitimate quotation, commonly used terminology, properly cited material, or potentially inappropriate copying. The journal does not rely solely on a similarity percentage when determining whether plagiarism has occurred.

Manuscripts may be rejected where substantial plagiarism, unattributed copying, duplicate publication, fabricated material, manipulated content, or other serious forms of academic misconduct are identified. Where concerns arise after publication, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate action, which may include correction, publication of an editorial notice, retraction, removal of the article where justified, or notification of the relevant institution or other appropriate body.

Self-plagiarism or substantial reuse of an author's previously published work without appropriate disclosure or citation is also discouraged and may be considered a form of publication misconduct where it results in significant duplication or misrepresents previously published material as new research.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts comply with the journal's originality and ethical standards before submission. Submission of a manuscript constitutes an acknowledgement by the authors that the work is original, that appropriate sources have been acknowledged, and that the manuscript has not been submitted or published elsewhere in a manner inconsistent with the journal's publication policies.

The Employee Relations Law Journal reserves the right to revise this AI Use and Plagiarism Policy in response to developments in artificial intelligence, academic publishing, research ethics, and international scholarly publishing standards.