Artificial Intelligence (AI) Library Guide: Maintaining academic integrity when using AI

The advice on the use of AI in academic work contained in this guide is in line with the University's guidelines.

First check with your tutor about the use of an AI tool and use it according to the module specifications.

• Sites such as Wikipedia, Generative AI chatbots can provide a quick overview on a topic.
• Don't over rely on generative AI as it can never substitute for your own way of developing and expressing ideas in writing.
• Generative AI might be useful as a planning tool to get initial ideas or to help with generating more keywords for searches on your topic.
• It can help with summarising if you are working on large amounts of text.
• Don't copy and paste output directly into your work. 
• Be aware of uploading copyrighted material.

Acknowledging the use of generative AI in your work

You must acknowledge the use of AI in your assignments and research. Moreover, it's best practice to provide a screenshot of the output as content from generative AI is a non-recoverable source, as it can't be retrieved or linked back to. See How to cite AI for an example on how to format this. Also see the University guidelines for further information about university policy around students' use of AI.

We all know thinking is very hard work. We can give over control to an AI tool as it is an easier option but we can end up failing to grow and improve our own abilities to think critically.  

Plagiarism is the practice of extracting someone else’s words, works, or ideas and passing them off as your own, without any reference being made to the original creator. It is a serious offense that can have severe consequences. One key action to avoid is copying and pasting. See the information about editing below. Although generative AI presents many advantages, there are also risks associated with plagiarism. Some useful strategies to avoid plagiarism in this context include: 

Citing your sources  

Make sure to properly cite and attribute any material or ideas you combine from outside sources. Since published information may be generated by AI tools, it is imperative to provide credit to the original authors. Depending on the kind of content, use the appropriate citation required by the referencing style. Citation may not be necessary when utilising AI tools to improve original content.  

Verifying information

Texts produced by AI may convey information that is unoriginal or contains factual errors, making it imperative to verify its correctness and dependability before using it in your work. By independently reviewing reliable sources to confirm the facts, figures, and assertions generated by AI tools, this will ensure the information presented is reliable and trustworthy. 

Editing

Once you've used an AI tool, make sure the text produced will accurately reflect your original meaning and style by carefully reviewing and editing it. Rewrite sentences, add personal observations, and make the required changes to prevent accidental plagiarism. The more information you contribute, the more distinctive the content gets.