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Author Instructions

all AI-generated content and accept full responsibility for the published material.”
Note: No declaration is required for basic grammar/spelling checkers or reference managers.

7.2 Generative AI in Visual Content
OAE prohibits the use of generative AI/AI-assisted tools to create or modify images, including:
• Graphical abstracts
• Cover images
• Figures within manuscripts

Permitted adjustments limited to:
• Brightness/contrast correction
• Color balance optimization
provided these edits do not obscure, delete, or misrepresent original image data.

7.3 AI Use in Peer Review
Confidentiality requirements:
• Reviewers must not upload manuscripts/materials to AI platforms, as this:
1. Violates OAE’s confidentiality policies
2. Risks intellectual property infringement
3. May compromise personal data in identifiable content

Review integrity standards:
• Peer review must remain human-driven – AI tools cannot replace critical scholarly judgment.
• Reviewers must not use AI for manuscript evaluation due to risks of:
1. Inaccurate/incomplete assessments
2. Algorithmic bias

Declaration requirement: Reviewers retain full accountability for their reports, if any aspect of the manuscript’s evaluation
was supported in any way by an AI tool, reviewers must explicitly disclose it in their report.

OAE will periodically reassess this policy to align with technological advancements and academic standards.
8. Conflict of Interests
OAE journals require authors to declare any possible financial and/or non-financial conflicts of interest at the end of their
manuscript and in the cover letter, as well as confirm this point when submitting their manuscript in the submission system.
If no conflicts of interest exist, authors need to state “The authors declare no conflicts of interest”. We also recognize that
some authors may be bound by confidentiality agreements, in which cases authors need to sate “The authors declare that
they are bound by confidentiality agreements that prevent them from disclosing their competing interests in this work”.
9. Editorial Process
9.1 Initial check
9.1.1 Initial manuscript check
New submissions are initially checked by the Managing Editor from the perspectives of originality, suitability, structure
and formatting, conflicts of interest, background of authors, etc. Poorly-prepared manuscripts may be rejected at this stage.
If your manuscript does not meet one or more of these requirements, we will return it for further revisions. The Academic
Editor, i.e., the Editor-in-Chief in the case of regular submissions, the Guest Editor in the case of Special Issue submissions,
or an Editorial Board member in the case of a conflict of interest, will be notified of the submission and invited to check
and recommend reviewers.
9.1.2 Publishing ethics
All manuscripts submitted to JEEA are screened using iThenticate powered by CrossCheck to identify any plagiarized
content. Your study must also meet all ethical requirements as outlined in our Editorial Policies. If the manuscript does not
pass any of these checks, we may return it to you for further revisions or decline to consider your study for publication.

9.2 Editorial assessment
Once your manuscript has passed the initial check, our editorial team will assign it to an Academic Editor, i.e., the Editor-
in-Chief in the case of regular submissions, the Guest Editor in the case of Special Issue submissions, or an Editorial
Board Member in case of a conflict of interest, who will be notified of the submission and invited to check and recommend
reviewers. The Academic Editors may reject manuscripts that they deem highly unlikely to pass peer review without
further consultation.

9.3 Process
JEEA operates a single-blind review process. The technical quality of the research described in the manuscript is assessed

Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment XVII