Guidelines for AI and LLM Use by Authors and Reviewers

Please see the video tutorial on IEEE’s policy regarding the use of content generated by AI. For additional information, visit the IEEE Principles of Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Publishing section in the IEEE PSPB Operations Manual, pages 5-6.

Use by Authors

The use of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in an article (including but not limited to text, figures, images, and code) shall be disclosed in the acknowledgments section of any article submitted to an IEEE publication. The AI system used shall be identified, and specific sections of the article that use AI-generated content shall be identified and accompanied by a brief explanation regarding the level at which the AI system was used to generate the content.

The use of AI systems for editing and grammar enhancement is common practice and, as such, is generally outside the intent of the above policy. In this case, disclosure as noted above is not required, but recommended.

Note: If using an AI system for editing and grammar, exclude the reference section; otherwise, the tool may make unwanted changes. Always double check AI-generated results.

Use by Reviewers

Information or content contained in or about a manuscript under review shall not be processed through a public platform (directly or indirectly) for AI generation of content for a review. Doing so is considered a breach of confidentiality because AI systems generally learn from any input.

IEEE CEC 2027 permits reviewers to use large language models (LLMs) as assistive tools—for example, to help with understanding technical material, clarifying background, or improving the clarity and grammar of their written reviews—provided that confidentiality is strictly preserved and human judgment remains central. Reviewers must not delegate substantive evaluation, scientific judgment, or decision-making to LLMs, nor submit confidential manuscript content to public or non-secure services. Reviewers remain fully responsible for the accuracy, fairness, and integrity of their reviews, regardless of any tool used. This policy aims to support reviewer effectiveness while upholding the core principles of peer review: confidentiality, accountability, and expert human assessment.

CEC 2027 Policy for LLM use by reviewers – Detailed Policy  
Purpose. To support reviewers in performing high-quality evaluations while preserving the integrity, confidentiality, and human judgment central to peer review.

1. Permitted Use of LLMs (Assistive Only): Reviewers may use LLMs to support their understanding of technical concepts, clarify background literature, and polish the language of their written reports. This includes summarizing content for personal comprehension and improving clarity of text.
   Such use should be privacy-compliant, e.g., institutional or self-hosted models that do not persist or train on confidential manuscript content.

2. Prohibited Use of LLMs: Reviewers must not delegate core evaluative judgment (e.g., assessing strengths/weaknesses, novelty, significance, or scientific correctness) to an LLM.

3. Responsibility and Accountability: Reviewers are fully responsible for the accuracy, objectivity, confidentiality, and integrity of their final review content regardless of any tools used. Any hallucinated or erroneous content that appears in a review remains the reviewer’s responsibility.

4. Confidentiality and Data Protection: Manuscript content under review is confidential. Reviewers must ensure that no confidential text or data are submitted to external or public LLM services unless explicitly permitted by data protection safeguards.

Transparency (Optional or Recommended): If an LLM was used to improve language or formulation beyond basic polishing, reviewers should disclose the tool(s) used in the review submission process to support transparency and future policy refinement.