Artificial intelligence policies in academic physiotherapy and physical therapy: a review of journals and their publishers.

AbstractBackgroundObjectivesMethodsResultsConclusionThe rapid adoption of AI tools in academic research has created uncertainty about appropriate use in manuscript preparation, including in academic physiotherapy and physical therapy where clear guidance is essential for maintaining research integri...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:European Journal of Physiotherapy pp. 1 - 12
Main Authors: Armitage, Richard C., Williamson, Eric, Al-Oraibi, Amani
Format: Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jan2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=193036786&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 193036786
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        21679169
        FSGO
      jtl: European Journal of Physiotherapy
      issn: 21679169
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jan2026
      pid: 377
      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    artinfo:
      ui:
        193036786
        10.1080/21679169.2025.2612174
        193036786
      ppf: 1
      ppct: 11
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: Artificial intelligence policies in academic physiotherapy and physical therapy: a review of journals and their publishers.
      aug:
        au:
          Armitage, Richard C.
          Williamson, Eric
          Al-Oraibi, Amani
        affil: Academic Unit of Population and Lifespan Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham
      sug:
      ab: AbstractBackgroundObjectivesMethodsResultsConclusionThe rapid adoption of AI tools in academic research has created uncertainty about appropriate use in manuscript preparation, including in academic physiotherapy and physical therapy where clear guidance is essential for maintaining research integrity.This review aimed to assess the availability and content of AI policies across physiotherapy and physical therapy journals and their publishers.We identified physiotherapy and physical therapy journals through searches of SCImago Journal & Country Rank, Google Scholar, and Google searches. After screening for English language, functioning webpages, recent publications, and exclusion of predatory journals, 32 journals were included. Two reviewers independently reviewed journal homepages, author guidelines, submission policies, and editorial policies for AI-related statements at both journal and publisher levels between 21–25 July 2025.Of 32 journals assessed, 24 (75.0%) had publicly available AI policies. Of these, 13 (54.2%) were at the journal level and 11 (45.8%) at the publisher level. Eight journals (25.0%) had no identifiable public AI policy. All identified policies were permissive towards AI use (favourable to considering manuscripts that have received AI assistance) but varied in requirements across five key areas: disclosure of AI use, acceptable AI tasks, AI authorship considerations, author responsibility, and peer review guidelines.While most physiotherapy and physical therapy journals have established AI policies, significant gaps remain in accessibility and standardisation. The fragmented governance landscape, characterised by inconsistent policy locations and requirements, creates confusion for authors and might compromise research integrity. Standardised, easily accessible AI policies are needed to enable researchers to harness AI’s potential while maintaining transparency and scientific rigour.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N