Clinical Infectious Diseases AI Policy: ChatGPT and Generative AI Disclosure Rules for CID Authors
Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press) requires AI disclosure under the publisher rules. AI cannot be an author. This guide covers where to disclose, what to disclose, and the consequences of non-compliance for CID submissions.
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Quick answer: The Clinical Infectious Diseases AI policy follows the publisher's rules calibrated to practice-changing infectious-disease research submissions.
AI tools can be used for manuscript preparation, but CID requires that any use of AI or LLM tools, including language editing and data analysis, be noted and specified in the Methods and Acknowledgments sections, and authors must also disclose whether any writing assistance other than copyediting was provided.
AI cannot be listed as an author of any CID paper. AI-generated content presented as original research data is not permitted under OUP's AI policy. Failure to disclose AI use may be grounds for rejection, with the response depending on the timing and on whether the scientific record is affected.
Run the CID submission readiness check which includes an automated AI-disclosure audit, or work through this guide manually. Need broader context? See the CID journal overview.
The Manusights CID readiness scan. This guide tells you what Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press)'s editors look for when verifying AI disclosure at desk-screen. The scan tells you whether your manuscript has the disclosure language required by the current journal policy before you submit.
We have reviewed manuscripts targeting Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press) and peer venues; the named patterns below are patterns we check against the publisher's public AI policy and common editorial-screening risks. 60-day money-back guarantee. Your manuscript is not used for model training, and access is limited to the review workflow.
Editorial detail (for desk-screen calibration). Verify the current Editor-in-Chief and handling-editor list on the journal's editorial-team page before quoting any name in a submission cover letter. Submission portal: Editorial Manager submission portal. Manuscript constraints: Major Articles have a 3,500-word limit that includes the abstract (title page, references, and figure legends excluded) and a structured abstract of up to 250 words.
We reviewed the publisher's AI policy framework against current CID author guidelines (accessed 2026-10-09); evidence basis includes both publicly documented the publisher policy and our internal anonymized submission corpus. The applicable limits at CID are shown below: Major Articles have a 3,500-word limit that includes the abstract (title page, references, and figure legends excluded) and a structured abstract of up to 250 words.
Verify exact word and figure limits against the latest author guidelines before submission. The named editorial-culture quirk: CID editors enforce practice-changing-evidence threshold; mechanism-only papers without immediate clinical-translation pathway extend revision.
What does Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press)'s AI policy require?
CID authors should check four policy areas under the publisher's current AI framework before submission:
Rule 1: Disclose every AI tool used in manuscript preparation
Authors should document every AI or LLM use with the tool name and version, a description of how it was used, and the authors' role in directing and reviewing the output. CID asks for the use to be detailed in the Methods and Acknowledgments sections, and OUP's author policy also asks for it in the cover letter at initial submission, updated with any revision; CID does not require a cover letter, so follow the submission prompts. Examples that REQUIRE disclosure at CID:
- For CID-targeted manuscripts addressing practice-changing infectious-disease research: using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar to draft, polish, or edit manuscript text passing through CID editorial review
- For CID submissions: using AI to generate boilerplate text for limitations, ethics statements, or CID-specific response-to-reviewers letters that cite the publisher's framework
- For Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press) submissions: using AI to translate manuscript text into English from another language, which OUP lists among the uses permitted with disclosure
- For CID literature reviews: using AI for citation discovery or summarizing prior CID work; the publisher's policy applies regardless of citation context
- For CID analytical pipelines: AI-assisted code generation requires Methods or code disclosure under the current publisher policy, particularly when code affects analysis
Examples that do NOT require AI disclosure:
- At CID, using grammar/spell checkers (Word) for line-level edits, when used without generative AI features for new manuscript content
- For CID submissions, using reference managers (Zotero, EndNote) for citation formatting against the publisher's style guide
- For Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press) statistical analysis, using established statistical software (R, Stata, SPSS) where the algorithm is the established tool documented in CID's methodological norm, not a generative AI
Rule 2: AI cannot be an author
No AI tool can be listed as an author of a CID paper, particularly for practice-changing infectious-disease research-class submissions. Under the publisher's policy: authorship requires the ability to take responsibility for the content, agree to be accountable for accuracy, and to consent to publication. AI tools cannot do any of these in CID's editorial framework. This rule is consistent across all the publisher-published journals, and OUP states that it screens author lists for AI tools.
Rule 3: AI-generated figures are prohibited for original research data
The CID author guidelines do not give a separate image rule, so OUP's author AI policy applies: it does not permit AI-created content presented as original research data, or the creation or alteration of primary factual, scientific, or technical images such as clinical or diagnostic images. The underlying data visualization must come from the actual research. AI-generated illustrative or explanatory images, such as a graphical abstract or a schematic of a hypothesized mechanism, are typically permitted with disclosure.
Rule 4: Disclose AI use in peer review participation
CID's guidelines state that editors and reviewers may not upload a manuscript to an AI, LLM, or similar system, because that would violate confidentiality. If an editor or reviewer uses AI to refine their own comments, they must disclose this to each other and to the author of the paper.
How does Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press)'s AI policy compare to peer journals?
Rule | CID stance | the publisher default | Policy basis |
|---|---|---|---|
AI authorship | Prohibited | Prohibited | Authorship/accountability |
Disclosure location | Methods and Acknowledgments sections | Cover letter and Acknowledgements (Methods where AI was integral to the methodology) | Authorship/accountability |
AI-generated figures | Prohibited for original data | Prohibited | Image-integrity guidance |
Reviewer AI use | Manuscripts may not be uploaded to AI; AI used to refine comments must be disclosed | Set in OUP's separate reviewer guidance | Peer-review confidentiality guidance |
Consequence of non-disclosure | Not described separately in CID's guidelines | May be grounds for rejection; after publication, correction or retraction | Publisher AI policy |
Source: OUP Policy on AI Use & Disclosure for OUP Journals Authors and the CID author guidelines, both read 2026-10-09.
What does AI disclosure look like in a CID Methods section?
Acceptable disclosure language for CID submissions:
"For our practice-changing infectious-disease research-focused manuscript at CID, we used ChatGPT-4o (OpenAI, version dated October 2024) to polish English-language phrasing in the Introduction and Discussion sections. We did not use generative AI for data analysis, figure generation, or substantive manuscript content. All authors reviewed and edited the AI-assisted text and take responsibility for the final manuscript."
Or, for AI-assisted code:
"For this CID submission addressing practice-changing infectious-disease research, initial Python code for the Bayesian regression analysis was drafted with Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Anthropic, version dated December 2024). All code was reviewed, modified, and validated by the authors before use; the final version is available at [repository URL]. Statistical inference was performed using the established R package brms."
What does NOT pass CID's desk-screen:
- For CID addressing practice-changing infectious-disease research: "AI tools were used in manuscript preparation." Too vague for the publisher editorial review of CID submissions; the CID editorial team needs the specific tool name, version, and specific use case
- "We acknowledge AI assistance in the Acknowledgments." (CID asks for AI use to be detailed in both the Methods and Acknowledgments sections, so an Acknowledgments-only note is incomplete.)
- "ChatGPT helped write this paper." (Insufficient detail on use case)
- No disclosure when AI was used (publication-ethics violation)
Desk-screen risks we see before submission
For CID-targeted manuscripts, the patterns below are common AI-policy risk areas to check against the publisher's current guidance before submission.
AI disclosure missing despite obvious AI-assisted phrasing. Substantive AI-assisted drafting without a required disclosure can trigger an editorial query. Check whether your manuscript reads as AI-assisted
AI disclosure placed in the wrong manuscript location. Publisher policies differ on whether AI disclosure belongs in Methods, a dedicated AI-use statement, acknowledgments, or another manuscript section; CID asks for both the Methods and Acknowledgments sections. A misplaced disclosure can create an avoidable submission query. Check whether your AI disclosure is in the right section
Generic disclosure language without tool name and version. OUP's AI policy requires the name and version of the tool, a description of how it was used, and the author's role in directing and reviewing the output. "AI tools were used" without specifics invites a query. Check whether your AI disclosure has the required specificity
What is the CID AI-policy compliance timeline?
Stage | Duration | What happens |
|---|---|---|
Author drafts AI disclosure | 30-60 minutes | Identify all AI use, gather tool versions, write Methods paragraph |
Co-author review of disclosure | 1-2 days | All authors confirm the disclosure is complete and accurate |
Editorial desk-screen check | 1-2 weeks | CID's editorial team checks the disclosure against the manuscript when policy review is triggered |
Editorial query (if disclosure incomplete) | 5-10 days | Editor requests revision before sending to peer review |
Reviewer AI-disclosure check | During peer review | Reviewers verify the disclosure matches the manuscript style |
Source: Manusights internal review of CID-targeted submissions, 2025 cohort.
Submit If
- For Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press) submissions on practice-changing infectious-disease research: the manuscript documents substantive generative-AI use with the tool name, version or access date, specific use case, and disclosure location required by the current journal policy
- For CID: no AI tool is listed as an author; all listed authors meet authorship criteria and take responsibility for the final manuscript
- For Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press): figures and schematics representing original research data come from the actual research, with any AI-assisted image or figure workflow checked against the current journal image policy
- For CID submissions: the disclosure makes clear that human authors reviewed the AI-assisted material and take responsibility for the final manuscript
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Think Twice If
- The manuscript contains substantive AI-assisted drafting but no disclosure; this can trigger an editorial query if the journal requires disclosure for that use case.
- The AI disclosure is placed in a section the current journal policy does not recognize.
- The disclosure language is generic without naming the tool, version or access date, and use case; journals may query or return manuscripts with this gap.
- Any figure, schematic, or image workflow used generative AI without being checked against the current journal image policy.
Manusights submission-corpus signal for Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press).
Of the manuscripts our team screened before submission to CID and peer venues in 2025, the AI-policy compliance gap most consistent across the cohort is generic disclosure language without tool-version specificity. In our analysis of anonymized CID-targeted submissions, manuscripts with complete AI disclosure (tool name, version, specific use case, all-author confirmation) clear desk-screen at the same rate as manuscripts without AI use; manuscripts with incomplete or missing disclosure trigger editorial queries that add 1-2 weeks to the timeline.
Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford University Press) follows the publisher's public AI policy, but authors should verify the current journal page before submission because AI-use rules, disclosure locations, and image guidance continue to change.
What can CID authors do to stay ahead of AI policy changes?
The publisher's AI policy framework continues to evolve as 2026 brings new ICMJE recommendations, COPE guidance refinements, and journal-specific clarifications. CID authors targeting practice-changing infectious-disease research submissions should track three signals throughout 2026:
Policy updates from the publisher. OUP's author AI policy carries a date (last updated 13 July 2026 when read on 2026-10-09), and the journal's own guidance prevails if the two differ. Check both before you submit.
Field-specific clarifications for practice-changing infectious-disease research. Different research domains see different AI use patterns. CID asks that any AI or LLM use, including language editing, be noted and specified, so the safe approach is to err on the side of more disclosure rather than less.
Reviewer disclosure norms. CID bars reviewers and editors from uploading a manuscript to an AI system and requires them to disclose any use of AI to refine their own comments, to each other and to the author.
- Manusights internal preview corpus (2025 cohort)
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, with disclosure. CID supports the World Association of Medical Editors recommendations on AI, chatbots, and scholarly manuscripts, and requires that any use of AI or LLM tools, including language editing and data analysis, be noted and specified in the Methods and Acknowledgments sections. AI cannot be listed as an author, and the listed authors must review AI-generated content and take full responsibility for it.
CID asks authors to detail AI or LLM use in both the Methods and Acknowledgments sections. OUP's author policy also asks for disclosure in the cover letter, but CID says it does not require cover letters and collects that information in its submission system, so follow the submission prompts. Name the tool and version, describe how it was used, and state the authors' role in reviewing the output.
Not for original research data. The CID guidelines do not give a separate image rule, but OUP's AI policy does not permit AI-created content presented as original research data, or the creation or alteration of primary scientific or clinical images such as diagnostic images. It permits illustrative or explanatory images, such as graphical abstracts, made with AI when the use is disclosed. The underlying data and visualizations must come from the actual research.
Under OUP's author AI policy, failure to disclose AI use may be grounds for rejection before publication, and after publication the journal can decide on a correction or, in some cases, a retraction. The response depends on the timing and on whether the scientific record is affected.
The shared publisher-level policy usually covers AI authorship, disclosure, and image or figure restrictions. Journal-specific guidance can differ in disclosure location, article-type expectations, and how the policy is checked during screening.
Sources
- OUP Policy on AI Use & Disclosure for OUP Journals Authors (accessed 2026-10-09)
- CID author guidelines (accessed 2026-10-09)
- ICMJE recommendations on AI use (accessed 2026-05-08)
- COPE guidance on AI in research publication (accessed 2026-05-08)
Free guide
AI cannot be an author. None of the 49 policies we checked allows it.
Not a co-author, not an acknowledged contributor with a byline, not "with assistance from". What they do require is a disclosure, and the wording matters. The guide has the statement filled in, with what each publisher asks for beside it.
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