# AI-Usage Disclosure Policy Database — v1

**Snapshot date**: 2026-04-09
**Scope**: v1 covers 6 ML/NLP-focused venues. Education/QA journals deferred to v2.
**Maintenance**: policies drift. Before submission, the user should verify against the venue's current page. The "source URL" and "access date" below record when ARS last verified each policy.

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## How to use this file

This file is consumed by `disclosure_mode_protocol.md`. The mode looks up the venue by name, reads the structured fields below, and generates a tailored disclosure. Do NOT use this file as a standalone template — use disclosure mode.

If the venue is not listed here, the mode halts and asks the user to paste the current policy.

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## Venue: ICLR (International Conference on Learning Representations)

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://iclr.cc/public/AuthorGuide |
| Access date | 2026-04-09 |
| Policy summary | Authors may use LLMs and AI assistants for writing and code. Authors must disclose AI use and are fully responsible for all content. AI cannot be listed as an author. |
| Required phrasing elements | Must state specific tool(s) used and specific tasks assisted. Must include "the authors take full responsibility for the content." |
| Preferred disclosure location | Paper body — a dedicated paragraph in the paper, typically at the end of the Introduction or in Acknowledgements |
| Prohibited uses | None explicitly prohibited, but fabricated citations or results would violate general scientific integrity policies |
| Authorship rule | AI tools cannot be listed as authors |

---

## Venue: NeurIPS (Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems)

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://neurips.cc/public/EthicsGuidelines |
| Access date | 2026-04-09 |
| Policy summary | Authors must disclose any use of generative AI or LLMs during manuscript preparation, including writing, coding, and data analysis. Full responsibility lies with the human authors. |
| Required phrasing elements | Must specify tool name, version if known, and specific tasks. Must state authors reviewed all AI-generated content. |
| Preferred disclosure location | Acknowledgements section or a separate "Use of AI Tools" subsection before References |
| Prohibited uses | Cannot use AI to fabricate or falsify data. Cannot list AI as author. |
| Authorship rule | AI tools cannot be listed as authors |

---

## Venue: Nature (Nature Publishing Group)

**Policy-source dedup pointer:** Nature's substantive AI policy text is co-cited by the #108 policy-anchor renderer (`policy_anchor_table.md` Nature section, verbatim quotes per 16 fields). Both consumers reference the canonical source pointer `shared/policy_data/nature_policy.md` so a future single-source-of-truth refactor can extract Nature's policy text without breaking either consumer's substantive content. Dedup invariant lint: `verify_nature_dedup_with_venue` in `scripts/check_policy_anchor_table.py`.

**Derivation note (#108 scope limitation):** the venue-track summary fields below (Policy summary / Required phrasing elements / Preferred disclosure location / Prohibited uses / Authorship rule) **are derived** from `shared/policy_data/nature_policy.md` but are **not auto-generated from it** — the v3.2 venue path predates the canonical source and continues to drive runtime rendering off these summary rows. If Nature's source policy drifts, **the canonical source file MUST be updated first** (per the G4 invariant) and these summary rows **MUST be reviewed and updated in the same change**. A future refactor (out of #108 scope) can replace these summary rows with an extract from the canonical source so the dedup contract is auto-enforced; until then this section is a derived view that requires manual sync.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://www.nature.com/nature/editorial-policies/ai |
| Access date | 2026-04-09 |
| Policy summary | Authors who use AI tools — including LLMs — in the writing of a manuscript, production of images, or other elements of the research must document this use transparently in the Methods or Acknowledgements section. LLMs cannot be listed as authors. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of AI-generated content. |
| Required phrasing elements | Must name the tool and describe how it was used. Must state authors verified and take responsibility for all content. Nature encourages detailed descriptions. |
| Preferred disclosure location | **Methods section** (recommended by Nature) or Acknowledgements. Also mention in the cover letter. |
| Prohibited uses | AI-generated text or images cannot be presented as original human work without disclosure. Fabrication of references or data is prohibited under general integrity policy. |
| Authorship rule | AI tools cannot meet authorship criteria (accountability requirement) and must not be listed as authors |
| Notes | Lu et al. (2026, Nature 651:914-919) provides a worked example: their AI Scientist paper includes full disclosure in Methods and Ethics Statement, with explicit IRB-style approval for the human reviewer participation. |

---

## Venue: Science (AAAS)

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://www.science.org/content/page/science-journals-editorial-policies |
| Access date | 2026-04-09 |
| Policy summary | Authors must disclose any use of AI-generated text, figures, or data in the manuscript. The use of AI writing tools must be documented in the Acknowledgements section or in Materials and Methods. AI tools are not authors. |
| Required phrasing elements | Must identify the AI tool by name. Must indicate which parts of the manuscript were aided by the tool. Must affirm that authors verified the accuracy of all AI-generated content. |
| Preferred disclosure location | **Acknowledgements** (preferred) or **Materials and Methods** |
| Prohibited uses | AI-generated text submitted without disclosure violates editorial policy. Fabricated figures or data are prohibited. |
| Authorship rule | AI tools cannot be listed as authors; all listed authors must meet ICMJE criteria |

---

## Venue: ACL (Association for Computational Linguistics)

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://2023.aclweb.org/blog/ACL-2023-policy/ |
| Access date | 2026-05-24 |
| Policy summary | ACL requires a dedicated "Limitations" section and allows an optional "Use of AI Assistance" section. Authors must disclose substantive use of AI writing tools. Minor grammar/spell-check tools do not require disclosure. |
| Required phrasing elements | Must name the tool. Must describe "the extent of use" — was it for drafting, editing, or brainstorming? ACL distinguishes between minor editing and substantive drafting. |
| Preferred disclosure location | A dedicated **"Use of AI Assistance"** subsection, placed after "Limitations" and before "References" |
| Prohibited uses | Submitting AI-generated text as the primary intellectual contribution without disclosure |
| Authorship rule | AI tools cannot be listed as authors |
| Notes | ACL's "Use of AI Assistance" section is formatted separately from Acknowledgements. The tool should produce both sections if both apply. |

---

## Venue: EMNLP (Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing)

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://2026.emnlp.org/calls/main_conference_papers/ (follows ACL policy) |
| Access date | 2026-05-23 |
| Policy summary | EMNLP follows the ACL policy. Same requirements apply. |
| Required phrasing elements | Same as ACL |
| Preferred disclosure location | Same as ACL: **"Use of AI Assistance"** subsection |
| Prohibited uses | Same as ACL |
| Authorship rule | Same as ACL |
| Notes | EMNLP is co-located with ACL and adopts ACL's policies wholesale. Any update to ACL policy applies here. |

---

## Adding a new venue (v2 and beyond)

To add a venue to this database:

1. Find the venue's current AI-usage policy page (not a third-party summary).
2. Copy the structured fields above.
3. Fill in each field with verbatim or closely-paraphrased policy text.
4. Record the source URL and date accessed.
5. Add the venue entry to this file in alphabetical order.
6. Update the "Scope" line at the top.

For venues without a published AI policy: record "No explicit AI-usage policy found as of {date}" and flag this in disclosure mode output so the user knows they are using the generic template as fallback.

**Education/QA journals** targeted for v2: Higher Education, Quality in Higher Education, Studies in Higher Education, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. These will require separate research as their policies are less standardized than ML/NLP venues.
