Physics World authors and contributors ethical policy
Respect for others
IOP Publishing reserves the right to refuse to publish any content that, in its opinion, could be deemed distasteful or illegal including, but not limited to, libellous, defamatory, offensive or hate speech. IOP Publishing follows the Guidelines on Inclusive Language and Images in Scholarly Communication to ensure that all articles use bias-free and culturally sensitive communication. We ask authors to please follow these guidelines in their submissions.
Generative AI tools
Physics World will not publish fresh content generated by AI unless the purpose of the article is explicitly to show readers what certain AI tools can do. Authors must therefore not use generative AI tools to generate any new content submitted to Physics World, including text, images, figures, photos, audio or video.
But we recognize that generative AI can be useful in some scenarios.
Authors may use generative AI tools to:
- Edit text you have written yourself – this includes minor corrections (checking spelling, grammar and punctuation) and suggestions for enhancing the clarity and structure of the work.
- Create transcripts of audio interviews recorded by you. Authors must ensure that they have critically revised any AI-generated transcript to ensure it is accurate.
- Create draft summaries of your own content – for example as an aid to writing a standfirst or image caption.
- Create draft summaries of academic papers for background research.
- Generate draft questions for an interview. Authors must ensure that they have critically revised any AI-generated questions.
- Organize or categorize your background research.
AI tools are constantly evolving; this list is not exhaustive and will be revised from time to time.
If you are writing a story about AI where you believe an exception to this rule is warranted for illustrative purposes, you must disclose this to the editorial team and make it explicitly clear to readers of your work. Not sure if a particular use of AI would be allowed? Contact our editorial team at pwld@ioppublishing.org.