We require our research community to take accountability and authorship of their work, transparently declaring anyuse of AI in line with our policies.

We place human-centred values at the heart of our approach to the responsible use of AI, and these are reflected in our AI Principles and editorial policies. AI has many benefits, when used responsibly, to enhance discovery, improve equity, and protect the trustworthiness of the scientific record. We firmly believe AI supports, not replaces human expertise, and a human should always be in the loop to edit and fact-check original work.

We expect our authors, editors, and peer reviewers to follow our AI Principles. Springer Nature supports limited, responsible use of AI by authors and the research community, but individuals must remain fully accountable for all content and authorship of their work. Use of AI must be transparently declared in line with our policies.

The Springer Nature AI Ethics and Policy Forums consistently monitor changes in regulations, technology as well as global and community expectations and update our AI policies in line with these as needed.

For our detailed policies and information relating to AI use including images, videos and generative AI tools, please see below supported by the full policy documents at the links below.

Guidance for researchers on use of AI in publishing

Guidance for authors

  • Be accountable. You—not AI—are responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of your manuscript. 
  • Do not list AI tools as authors. LLMs such as ChatGPT cannot take accountability and do not meet authorship criteria. 
  • Declare AI use transparently. If an AI tool helped generate text, data analysis, or content, acknowledge it in the Introduction, Preface, or Acknowledgements. 
  • AI-assisted copy editing need not be declared when used only to improve readability, grammar, or formatting—but authors remain accountable for the final version. 
  • Do not use AI to fabricate, plagiarise, or create false content. Verify and reference any AI-assisted output. 
  • Avoid generative AI images or figures. These are not permitted for publication unless they meet specific exceptions (legally sourced, directly about AI, or based on verifiable scientific data) and are clearly labelled as 'AI-generated.' 
  • Craft prompts responsibly. Do not include personal, sensitive, confidential, or copyrighted material. Avoid biased or harmful prompts and test outputs for appropriateness. 
  • Follow Springer Nature’s Authors’ Code of Conduct and ensure you uphold your research integrity. 

Guidance for editors and peer reviewers 

  • Take authorship and accountability for all editorial decisions and review content—these must reflect your expert judgment. 
  • Do not upload manuscripts into generative AI tools. Manuscripts contain confidential and sensitive information. 
  • If you have used an AI tool to assist your evaluation, declare its use transparently in your review report. 
  • Maintain confidentiality and integrity throughout the peer-review process. 
  • Keep a human in the loop. Editorial and peer-review assessments must be made and verified by humans

AI authorship Guidance

Authors remain responsible and accountable for the use of AI in their research, where it adheres with our guidance and principles. We expect all authors to use AI responsibly and ethically and any use must be declared as outlined in our policies and below.

The use of generative AI tools should be declared in the Introduction ​or Acknowledgements of the manuscript.​ The use of an AI tool for “AI assisted copy editing” purposes does not need to be declared.

AI is a tool and cannot be held accountable. Thus, authorship and other tasks requiring accountability can only be performed by a human.

Authors should familiarise themselves with the current known risks of using AI models before using them in their manuscript. AI models have been known to plagiarise content and to create false content. As such, authors should carry out due diligence to ensure that any AI-generated content is correct, appropriately referenced, and follow the standards as laid out in our Authors' Code of Conduct.

Thinking about using AI?

Chatbots and other AI tools can offer many time saving advantages. It is important to remember our AI Principles and policies when using AI. The quality of your AI output will be determined by your input. So, it is critical to remember to be responsible when entering prompts. Prompts are what you input into the AI in order to generate an output. Prompts can be questions, instructional text, data, images, video, or a combination.

  • Consider how you craft your prompt in terms of bias, both in terms of Input and output. ​
  • Do not include personal, sensitive, confidential or copyright information in prompts.  
  • ​Do not create prompts that could lead to harmful or malicious outcomes.  
  • ​Take accountability for the impact of your prompts.  ​
  • Before deploying prompts widely, test them to ensure they lead to appropriate and ethical responses. 
  • Be guided by our AI Principles. ​
  • Stay informed about the latest developments in AI ethics and incorporate best practices into prompt creation.

Can AI tools like ChatGPT be listed as authors?

No. Large Language Models (LLMs) do not meet Springer Nature’s authorship criteria, as they cannot take accountability for the work. Their use must be documented in the manuscript’s Methods section (or equivalent) or for book authors in the acknowledgements, introduction of preface of the manuscript.

Do I need to declare AI-assisted copy editing?

The use of an LLM (or other AI-tool) for “AI assisted copy editing” purposes does not need to be declared. 

In this context, we define the term "AI assisted copy editing" as AI-assisted improvements to human-generated texts for readability and style, and to ensure that the texts are free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and tone. These AI-assisted improvements may include wording and formatting changes to the texts, but do not include generative editorial work and autonomous content creation. In all cases, there must be human accountability for the final version of the text and agreement from the authors that the edits reflect their original work. 

Are generative AI images allowed in publications?

Generally no. As publishers, we strictly follow existing copyright law and best practices regarding publication ethics. While legal issues relating to AI-generated images and videos remain broadly unresolved, and are very case specific, Springer Nature are unable to permit its use for publication.  There are a limited range of established exceptions, more information about which can be found here.

What types of images are covered by this policy?

Examples of image types covered by this policy include: 

  • video and animation, including video stills
  • photography
  • illustration such as scientific diagrams, photo-illustrations and other collages
  • editorial illustrations such as drawings, cartoons or other 2D or 3D visual representations

Not included in this policy are text-based and numerical display items, such as: tables, flow charts and other simple graphs that do not contain images. Please note that not all AI tools are generative. The use of non-generative machine learning tools to manipulate, combine or enhance existing images or figures should be disclosed in the relevant caption upon submission to allow a case-by-case review.

Does Springer Nature ever use any AI tools for the generation of supporting editorial content?

Some Springer Nature journals and books occasionally use internal Springer Nature-developed AI tools to support the generation of accessory content, such as summary points. These are always edited and fact-checked by the author and/or editor to meet publication standards. Any substantive use of artificial intelligence beyond accessory content will be declared on an individual article/ book chapter basis.

Accessory content can include but is not limited to: 

  • key points
  • editorial summaries
  • glossary terms
  • plain language summaries

How is content published by Springer Nature used in an AI context?

Our focus is always on how we can best use AI to help researchers get published faster, find relevant content quickly, ensure the integrity of the academic record, and reduce barriers. We have been using AI for over 10 years already in support of these goals. It remains, though, a fast-moving area and we are always open to things which will improve the experience for our customers and the wider research community. When we do this, we will always apply the same considerations we have to date:

  • Does it benefit our customers and the wider research community? 
  • Is there a ‘human’ in the loop? 
  • Does it meet our AI governance principles of fairness, transparency, accountability, and respect?”

(See the next section for more information)

Can peer reviewers use generative AI tools?

While Springer Nature explores providing our peer reviewers with access to safe AI tools, we ask that peer reviewers do not upload manuscripts into generative AI tools.

Peer reviewers play a vital role in scientific publishing. Their expert evaluations and recommendations guide editors in their decisions and ensure that published research is valid, rigorous, and credible. Editors select peer reviewers primarily because of their in-depth knowledge of the subject matter or methods of the work they are asked to evaluate. This expertise is invaluable and irreplaceable. Peer reviewers are accountable for the accuracy and views expressed in their reports, and the peer review process operates on a principle of mutual trust between authors, reviewers and editors. Despite rapid progress,  generative AI tools have considerable limitations: they can lack up-to-date knowledge and may produce nonsensical, biased or false information. Manuscripts may also include sensitive or proprietary information that should not be shared outside the peer review process. For these reasons we ask that peer reviewers do not upload manuscripts into generative AI tools.

If any part of the evaluation of the claims made in the manuscript was in any way supported by an AI tool, we ask peer reviewers to declare the use of such tools transparently in the peer review report.

How can research published with Springer Nature be used in an AI context?

As AI tools become more integrated into research and publishing, Springer Nature is committed to supporting responsible and transparent use of published content. Our focus is always on how we can best use AI to help researchers get published faster, find relevant content quickly, ensure the integrity of the academic record, and reduce barriers. It remains a fast-moving area and we are always open to things which will improve the experience for our customers and the wider research community, in line with our AI principles.

The below outlines how content published with Springer Nature can be used in AI applications, including by authors, academic institutions, commercial services, and third parties.

Artificial Intelligence means any machine-based technology or solution capable of operating with varying degrees of autonomy and adaptiveness (“AI”). The term extends to all current and future developments in AI and related technologies.

Who owns the copyright for research published with Springer Nature?

Authors retain copyright in their submitted and published work. For subscription articles, Springer Nature is granted by the authors an exclusive License to Publish (LtP) to protect their interests.

Can authors reuse their own work?

Yes. Authors can share and reuse their work freely for research, education, and other non-commercial purposes. Authors should refer to their publishing agreement for specific guidance.

Can academic customers/ institutions use Springer Nature content within an AI context?

AI training and third-party access are not allowed unless explicitly licensed. Academic customers/ institutions may use Springer Nature content for internal AI use, – ie use by staff or students at the institution in a teaching context. Springer Nature also offers customised content services for institutions.

Can commercial or corporate services use Springer Nature content within an AI context?

Yes, if the use aligns with Springer Nature’s AI guidelines and usage is explicitly agreed. Selected content may be reused and made available to external users, excluding any restricted under historic laws or contracts, but only where that re-use is licenced by Springer Nature.

How can third-parties use Springer Nature content within an AI context?

Third parties may be licensed to use select content for internal AI-powered tools. Measures are put in place, however, to ensure that content is not used beyond the agreed scope. Attribution must be clearly provided if resulting content is made available externally and it is sufficiently specific, such as article summaries. This would be agreed as part of arranging suitable licences to use Springer Nature content.

What are the licensing terms for third-party use of Springer Nature content?

Use is limited to short summaries with proper attribution. Verbatim distribution is prohibited. Upon termination, all hosting or processing of content must cease.

Does Springer Nature license content for use in LLMs (Large Language Models)?

Only in limited cases. Licensing maybe considered for standalone LLM systems. Currently attribution to all the work (referring to content as outlined at the start of this guidance) that the model has been trained on is not practical. It remains, though, a fast-moving area and we hope solutions will be found for this. We are always open to things that will improve the experience for our authors, customers and the wider research community and we will continue to work with them to improve this.  Additionally, we will always apply the same considerations we have to date:

  • Does it benefit our customers and the wider research community? 
  • Is there a ‘human’ in the loop?
  • Does it meet our AI governance principles of fairness, transparency, accountability, and respect?

Does Springer Nature use the content it has published to power/ build its own internal AI tools?

In line with Springer Nature’s AI guidelines, selected content that we have published may be reused to develop Springer Nature tools that enhance publishing services and the research experience. Restricted content and opt-outs are excluded.

Springer Nature is committed to adopting an ethically focused approach while using, designing, developing, and deploying AI-assisted solutions. We design and use solutions which contain AI or are enabled by AI responsibly, making sure that we consider and mitigate any negative impact, be it societal or environmental.

If you have any questions about AI licensing you can contact: