Journal Of Materials Chemistry A AI Policy: ChatGPT and Generative AI Disclosure Rules for JMCA Authors
Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC) 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 JMCA submissions.
Readiness scan
AI policy covered? See what Journal of Materials Chemistry A reviewers are likely to push back on.
The AI policy governs disclosure, not how the science is judged. Run the Free Readiness Scan with Journal of Materials Chemistry A as your target to see desk-rejection risk, likely reviewer concerns, and journal fit.
Quick answer: For Journal of Materials Chemistry A, generative AI may assist within the boundaries of the current RSC policy, but it cannot be an author or take responsibility for the work. Authors remain accountable for accuracy, originality, citations, confidentiality, and any disclosure the live policy requires.
Evidence basis: We rechecked the RSC AI policy, Journal of Materials Chemistry A page, and RSC author responsibilities on October 9, 2026. RSC controls the policy; the manuscript audit below is Manusights guidance.
AI-assisted task | Evidence to retain | Stop signal |
|---|---|---|
Language revision | Original draft, revision history, and author verification | Technical meaning or citations changed without review |
Coding or analysis help | Prompts where permitted, tested code, environment, and reproducible outputs | The team cannot explain or rerun the result |
Figure or image work | Source data, edit history, caption transparency, and policy check | Generated content obscures what was measured |
Literature support | Every citation opened and checked against the original source | A model-generated reference enters the manuscript unchecked |
Because policies change, recheck the RSC page on submission day. Use the JMCA submission guide for journal fit and package requirements after the disclosure record is complete, and keep broader questions with the journal AI policy owner.
What does Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC)'s AI policy require?
JMCA 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
RSC requires any use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript to be declared at submission within the cover letter, described in the Experimental or Materials and Methods section (how the tool was used, including prompts), and identified in the Acknowledgements section by tool name and specific model or version. Examples that REQUIRE disclosure at JMCA:
- For JMCA-targeted manuscripts addressing energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics: using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar to draft manuscript text (RSC says AI-assisted copy editing does not need to be declared)
- For JMCA submissions: using AI to generate boilerplate text for limitations, ethics statements, or JMCA-specific response-to-reviewers letters that cite the publisher's framework
- For Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC) submissions: using AI to translate manuscript text into English from another language, which RSC lists among the uses that must be declared
- For JMCA literature reviews: using AI to compile references or summarize prior JMCA work; compiling references is one of the uses RSC lists as needing a declaration
- For JMCA 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 JMCA, using grammar/spell checkers (Word) for line-level edits, when used without generative AI features for new manuscript content
- For JMCA submissions, using reference managers (Zotero, EndNote) for citation formatting against the publisher's style guide
- For Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC) statistical analysis, using established statistical software (R, Stata, SPSS) where the algorithm is the established tool documented in JMCA'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 JMCA paper, particularly for energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics-class submissions. Under the publisher's policy, AI tools do not meet the criteria for authorship because they cannot take responsibility for the work, cannot consent to publication or manage copyright, licence or other legal obligations, and cannot understand issues around conflicts of interest. Authors remain fully responsible and accountable for the content of their article, including any parts produced by an AI tool. This rule applies across the publisher's journals.
Rule 3: AI-generated figures are prohibited for original research data
RSC does not permit content generated by AI tools to be presented as original research data or results from nonmachine sources in energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics-class submissions. GenAI or AI-assisted tools must not be used to alter images in submitted manuscripts (adding, removing, moving or obscuring features); basic adjustments such as brightness, contrast or colour balance are acceptable if they do not hide or remove original information.
The one exception is where AI tools form part of the research design or methods, for example AI-assisted imaging used to generate or interpret research data, in which case the process, tool name, version and manufacturer must be described in the Experimental or Materials and Methods section.
Graphics created with AI for illustrative purposes need a brief description of the AI use in the figure caption and the tool name and specific model or version in the Acknowledgements. Any AI tool used during image creation should be trained on licensed datasets and the output must be cleared for commercial reuse, and images of identifiable people generated with an AI tool are not acceptable.
Rule 4: Disclose AI use in peer review participation
RSC's reviewer responsibilities say reviewers must not submit any manuscript, supplementary information or related materials to LLMs or GenAI chatbots, and must not use an AI tool to generate the content of a peer review report. A reviewer may use an AI tool solely for copy editing or improving the language of a report if the system does not save or use inputs to train the model, and must disclose that use to the editor in the confidential comments. A report suspected of AI-generated content, or of undisclosed AI use, will not be used.
How does Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC)'s AI policy compare to peer journals?
Rule | JMCA stance | the publisher default | Policy basis |
|---|---|---|---|
AI authorship | Prohibited | Prohibited | Authorship/accountability |
Disclosure location | Cover letter, Methods section and Acknowledgements | Cover letter, Methods section and Acknowledgements | Disclosure and transparency |
AI-generated figures | Prohibited for original data | Prohibited | Image-integrity guidance |
Reviewer AI use | No AI-written reports or manuscript uploads; copy-editing use disclosed to the editor | No AI-written reports or manuscript uploads; copy-editing use disclosed to the editor | Peer-review confidentiality guidance |
Enforcement | RSC may contact the author if undisclosed use is suspected | RSC may contact the author if undisclosed use is suspected | Submission-stage policy check |
Source: RSC author responsibilities and reviewer responsibilities pages (accessed 2026-10-09).
What does AI disclosure look like in a JMCA Methods section?
Acceptable disclosure language for JMCA submissions (RSC also asks for the tool name and version in the Acknowledgements and a declaration in the cover letter):
"For our energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics-focused manuscript at JMCA, 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 JMCA submission addressing energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics, 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 JMCA's desk-screen:
- For JMCA addressing energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics: "AI tools were used in manuscript preparation." Too vague for the publisher editorial review of JMCA submissions; RSC asks for the specific tool name, model or version, and how the tool was used
- "We acknowledge AI assistance in the Acknowledgments." (RSC asks for the tool name and version in the Acknowledgements, but also for a declaration in the cover letter and a description in the Methods section, so an Acknowledgements note alone 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 JMCA-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. RSC asks for the declaration in the cover letter, a description of the use in the Experimental or Materials and Methods section, and the tool name and version in the Acknowledgements. A disclosure in only one of these places can create an avoidable submission query. Check whether your AI disclosure is in the right section
Generic disclosure language without tool name and version. RSC asks for the specific tool, its model or version, and how it was used. "AI tools were used" without specifics is likely to draw a query. Check whether your AI disclosure has the required specificity
What is the JMCA 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 | RSC reserves the right to contact the author for further information if AI use is suspected and not disclosed |
Editorial query (if disclosure incomplete) | 5-10 days | Editor may ask for clarification of the disclosure |
Reviewer AI rules | During peer review | Reviewers may not upload the manuscript to GenAI tools or use AI to write the report |
Source: Manusights internal review of JMCA-targeted submissions, 2025 cohort.
Readiness check
Run the scan while the topic is in front of you.
See score, top issues, and journal-fit signals before you submit.
Submit If
- For Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC) submissions on energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics: the manuscript documents generative-AI use with the tool name, model or version, specific use case, and the disclosure locations RSC asks for (cover letter, Methods section, Acknowledgements)
- For JMCA: no AI tool is listed as an author; all listed authors meet authorship criteria and take responsibility for the final manuscript
- For Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC): 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 JMCA submissions: the disclosure makes clear that human authors reviewed the AI-assisted material and take responsibility for the final manuscript
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, model or version, 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 Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC).
Of the manuscripts our team screened before submission to JMCA 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 JMCA-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.
Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC) 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 JMCA 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. JMCA authors targeting energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics submissions should track three signals throughout 2026:
Policy updates from the publisher. RSC's publishing policy on AI sits in its author responsibilities and reviewer responsibilities pages, which can change, so recheck them before each submission.
Field-specific clarifications for energy and sustainability materials advance with quantified energy-related performance metrics. Different research domains see different AI use patterns. RSC's policy draws one explicit line: AI-assisted copy editing does not need to be declared, while using GenAI to draft text, translate content, format data, create or edit figures, visualise results, refine code or compile references does. Authors who err on the side of more disclosure rather than less avoid the publication-ethics gray zone.
Reviewer rules. RSC's reviewer responsibilities prohibit uploading manuscripts to LLMs or GenAI chatbots and prohibit using an AI tool to generate a review report; limited copy-editing use must be disclosed to the editor, and a report suspected of AI-generated content will not be used.
- Manusights editorial policy audit; no private corpus claim is used on this page
Competitor pricing and feature claims on this page reflect publicly listed information as of 2026-05-14. Pricing and features may change; verify against each vendor's current product page before decision-making.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, with disclosure. Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC) follows the publisher's AI policy. Any use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript must be declared at submission in the cover letter, described in the Experimental or Materials and Methods section, and named in the Acknowledgements section; AI-assisted copy editing does not need to be declared. AI cannot be listed as an author, and human authors bear full responsibility for the content.
RSC asks for three things: declare the use at submission within the cover letter, describe how the tool was used, including prompts, in the Experimental or Materials and Methods section, and give the tool name and specific model or version in the Acknowledgements section. If there is no Methods section, all details go in the Acknowledgements. RSC recommends stating that the authors reviewed and edited the output and take full responsibility for the content.
Not as research data. RSC does not permit content generated by AI tools to be presented as original research data or results from nonmachine sources, and AI or GenAI tools must not be used to alter images in submitted manuscripts; basic brightness, contrast or colour adjustments are acceptable. Graphics created with AI for illustrative purposes need a brief description of the AI use in the figure caption and the tool name and version in the Acknowledgements, and the AI tool must be trained on licensed datasets with output cleared for commercial reuse. AI-generated images of identifiable people are not acceptable.
If AI use is suspected and not disclosed, RSC reserves the right to contact the author for further information. If the concerns are not addressed satisfactorily, the manuscript may be withdrawn, rejected or retracted.
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
- RSC author responsibilities, AI guidance (accessed 2026-10-09)
- JMCA 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.
Before you upload
Want the full picture on Journal of Materials Chemistry A?
Scope, selectivity, what editors want, common rejection reasons, and submission context, all in one place.
These pages attract evaluation intent more than upload-ready intent.
Private API processing. Your manuscript is not used to train models.
Put the guidance to work
Build a journal decision from more than one signal.
Use comparison data as a starting point, then confirm the live source that governs the actual submission decision.
Where to go next
Same journal, next question
- Journal of Materials Chemistry A Submission Guide: Scope & Tips
- How to Avoid Desk Rejection at Journal of Materials Chemistry A
- Journal of Materials Chemistry A Impact Factor 2026: 9.2, Q1, Rank 63/460
- Journal Of Materials Chemistry A Pre Submission Checklist: 12 Items Editors Verify Before Peer Review
- Journal of Materials Chemistry A Under Review: What Each Status Means
- Is Journal of Materials Chemistry A a Good Journal? Impact Factor, Scope, and Fit Guide