The Presence and Nature of AI-Use Disclosure Statements in Medical Education Journals: A Bibliometric Study.

Background: As AI use becomes more common in research, disclosure policies have emerged to ensure transparency and appropriateness. However, database research in other fields suggests that disclosure may lag behind AI use. Medical education journal editors report that submitted manuscripts rarely include AI-use disclosures, and they perceive a lack of clarity regarding when and how AI use should be disclosed. However, we lack objective evidence regarding the incidence and nature of AI-use disclosure in medical education. Methods: Using bibliometric methods, we searched a database of 24 leading medical education journals for articles published between January and July 2025 (n = 2,762 articles). Screening with Results: 2.5% of empirical articles (n = 51) had an AI disclosure statement. Discussion: AI-use disclosures in medical education journals are rare and appear mostly in work from non-native English-speaking regions of the world. A shared disclosure practice is evident: name the tool and affirm author responsibility, but describe use superficially. This suggests a practice of "safe" disclosure that may be more performative than informative, therefore failing to satisfy the goal of ensuring transparent and ethical AI use in research.