Society for Conservation Biology AI policy

For applicants

• Smith Fellows applicants will be given a chance to briefly disclose whether they used AI tools and, if so, which tools, which sections were AI-assisted, the approximate percentage of AI-generated text, and the kinds of prompts used. Disclosures are not penalized and are not shown to reviewers.[1]
• Smith Fellows proposal materials, including AI-assisted content, remain the applicant's intellectual property, and no part of the application will be used for AI model training.[1]

For reviewers

• Smith Fellows staff may use trusted AI tools to organize and summarize reviewer feedback, match proposals with reviewers, and support consistency and fairness in review.[1]
• AI will not be used to evaluate proposals, generate proposal scores, or replace human judgment in selection.[1]

Sources

1. [1]

   Apply — Smith Fellows

   Society for Conservation Biology

   “As part of your application, you will be given a chance to briefly disclose whether you used AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Grammarly, Claude), and if so, which tools you used, which sections were AI-assisted, approximate percentage of AI-generated text, and the kinds of prompts or instructions you gave the AI tool. These disclosures will not be penalized and will not be made visible to reviewers .”

   “Smith Fellows staff may use trusted AI tools to assist with: Organizing and summarizing reviewer feedback, including providing feedback summaries to applicants Effectively matching proposals with reviewers across factors like overlapping skills, methods, and expertise Ensuring consistency and fairness in the review processes”

   “AI will not be used to evaluate proposals, generate proposal scores, or replace human judgment in selection. Confidentiality, Data & Intellectual Property All proposal materials, including AI-assisted content, remain the intellectual property of the applicant. No part of your application will be used for AI model training or shared outside the Smith Fellows review process.”