Generative AI

GenAI Policy¶

Connectome 2026–2027 recognizes that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are becoming increasingly common in education, research, and industry. Participants are welcome to use generative AI tools to support their learning and research process, provided that such use is disclosed appropriately and does not replace the participant’s own scientific thinking and analysis.

Participants remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all submitted work.

Permitted Uses¶

Examples of acceptable uses include:

• Learning neuroscience, programming, statistics, or related concepts

• Brainstorming research questions or project ideas

• Explaining scientific papers or technical concepts

• Debugging code

• Improving grammar, clarity, or writing style

• Generating example code snippets

• Receiving feedback on report structure or presentation design

Responsibilities of Participants¶

Participants must:

• Critically evaluate any information generated by AI tools

• Verify scientific claims, references, and code before using them

• Ensure that all conclusions and interpretations are supported by evidence

• Remain the primary author and decision-maker throughout the research process

Participants are responsible for any errors, inaccuracies, fabricated references, or misleading statements that appear in their submissions, regardless of whether they originated from a generative AI tool.

Because scientific research relies on critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and careful evaluation of sources, participants are expected to review and verify AI-generated outputs before incorporating them into their work. Overreliance on unverified AI-generated content may weaken the scientific quality of a submission and limit a participant’s ability to demonstrate their own understanding and reasoning.

Disclosure Requirement¶

All participants must include a brief Generative AI Use Disclosure under the section heading “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process”, placed at the end of their written report immediately before the References section.

If generative AI tools were used, the disclosure should describe:

• Which tool(s) were used

• How they were used

• The extent of their contribution

This approach is consistent with emerging practices used by major academic publishers and scientific journals, which increasingly require authors to disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation.

Participants will not be penalized for the responsible and transparent use of generative AI tools.

Example 1: AI Used for Brainstorming, Coding, and Writing Support

Example 2: No Generative AI Used

Example 3: Another Example from Elsevier

Prohibited Uses¶

Participants may not:

• Present AI-generated content as scientific evidence without verification

• Fabricate results, analyses, figures, references, or citations

• Submit work that they do not understand

• Use generative AI to impersonate another individual

• Use AI-generated voices in video submissions

For video submissions containing narration or spoken commentary, the voice must be the participant’s own voice.

Other Resources¶

Participants interested in learning more about how generative AI is being used and regulated in academic publishing may find the following resource helpful:

• Elsevier: Generative AI Policies for Journals https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/generative-ai-policies-for-journals