Research ethics and publication policies in journals using the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) academic publishing platform: a content analysis of 181 journals

Purpose: This study aimed to define key research ethics and publication policy areas and assess policy disclosure among journals hosted on the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) academic publishing platform.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional content analysis of journal policy documents. Fifteen policy areas were identified based on international guidelines, domestic reports, prior studies, and publisher policies related to artificial intelligence (AI) and data sharing. Policies from 181 journals were collected on July 10, 2025, and each journal was coded according to whether each policy area was disclosed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize disclosure overall and according to subject field, access model, and indexing status.Results: Journals disclosed a mean of 8.29 policy areas out of 15. Five journals disclosed none of the areas, whereas three disclosed all 15. The most frequently disclosed areas were copyright (158 of 181, 87.3%) and duplicate publication (157 of 181, 86.7%), followed by plagiarism, authorship, and sanctions for misconduct. Emerging governance policies were uncommon: only 5 journals disclosed an AI policy, and 29 disclosed a data sharing policy. When present, AI policies addressed non-authorship, disclosure requirements, scope limitations, accountability, and restrictions on reviewer use. Disclosure rates varied across disciplines, with medicine and pharmacy journals showing the highest rates overall. Open access journals generally disclosed more policy areas than subscription journals, whereas indexing status showed no consistent pattern.Conclusion: Policy disclosure among journals hosted on the KISTI academic publishing platform remains incomplete and uneven, particularly with respect to AI and data sharing. To address these gaps, journals should adopt standardized policy templates and receive targeted platform-supported guidance to strengthen research ethics and publication governance in Korea.