Scope

This policy applies to medical images, digital pathology slides, radiological scans, microscopy images, AI-generated or AI-enhanced visual outputs, charts, and other visual or data representations submitted to JAIHL.

Scientific Integrity

Image processing is permitted when it is applied appropriately and does not obscure, introduce, remove, or misrepresent scientific information. Authors must not selectively manipulate images or data visualizations to create a misleading result.

AI-Generated and AI-Enhanced Images

Where an image has been generated, reconstructed, or materially enhanced using an AI model (for example, super-resolution, denoising, or generative reconstruction techniques), this must be explicitly disclosed in the figure legend and Methods section. The underlying unprocessed image or scan should be retained and made available on request unless doing so would breach patient privacy.

Permitted Processing

Global brightness, contrast, or similar adjustments are acceptable when applied uniformly to an entire image and when they do not alter the interpretation of the underlying data. Material processing is described in the figure legend or Methods.

Medical Imaging and Digital Pathology

• Authors report imaging modality, acquisition parameters, de-identification method, and any preprocessing or normalization applied.
• Duplicating or relabeling the same image to represent different patients, cases, or conditions is not acceptable.
• Composite or montage figures are clearly labeled as such, with individual panels unaltered in content.

Raw Files and Verification

Where an image-integrity concern arises, authors may be asked to provide original, unprocessed image files, model outputs, or underlying data sufficient to assess the issue. Failure to provide reasonable supporting material may affect editorial decisions.