Study on Policies Governing the Use of Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content in Academic Writing—A Case Study of Leading Journals Under “Phase II of Excellence Action Plan of China STM Journals”

To address the academic integrity challenges arising from artificial intelligence technologies, this study has systematically investigated the policies governing the use of artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) in academic writing, specifically, those implemented by leading journals participating in Phase II of “Excellence Action Plan of China Scientific and Technological Journals Project” (hereinafter referred to as the AIGC use policy). The survey findings reveal a “spindle-shaped” distribution of policy stringency across leading English-language journals: only approximately 20% of these journals have adopted high-intensity policies classified as “strict” or “stringent”. The leading Chinese-language journals exhibit a pronounced policy gap concerning AIGC use policy; most journals lack relevant specific guidelines, and merely four journals have issued dedicated policy statements. Further analysis reveals that the technical affinity, ethical sensitivity, and research traditions inherent to a discipline intersect with the institutional logics underpinning publishing entities, such as their affiliations with international commercial conglomerates or scholarly societies. The interplay collectively shapes the form, availability, and regulatory effectiveness of AIGC use policies, yielding a current policy landscape characterized by both structural imbalance and delayed responsiveness. Based on the above, this manuscript proposes the establishment of a “stratified, discipline-specific, and dynamically collaborative” governance system. It advocates the strengthening of policy guidance tailored to disciplinary heterogeneity, accelerating institutional transformation across publishing entities, and instituting mechanisms for monitoring technological evolution and iteratively updating governance policies, thereby achieving a dynamic equilibrium between safeguarding the foundational principles of academic integrity and accommodating the intrinsic logic of technological advancement. Only through such an integrated, adaptive approach can China’s scientific and technical journals substantially enhance their academic governance capacity and effectively respond to the evolving demands of the artificial intelligence era.