Guidelines for Working with AI
By following these guidelines, you can make the most of your experience with generative AI tools while maintaining your academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism and dishonesty.
- Use generative AI tools as a tool to enhance your learning experience in your academic assignments and projects, but not as a replacement for your own ideas and effort. Your own ideas and diligent work are essential components of your academic growth. Generative AI tools can assist you with your assignments and projects, but it should not be a substitute for your own ideas and efforts. While generative AI can support the learning process, your own critical thinking, creativity, and academic integrity remain fundamental components of your academic success.
- Be mindful of plagiarism. Generative AI tools may provide you with answers or ideas, but you must ensure that you give credit to the source of the information. Plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, is a serious academic offense and can lead to severe consequences, including academic penalties or expulsion. Be prepared to explain your work. Faculty may ask students to summarize their research process, define any technical terms, or explain how they used generative AI tools in real time during check-ins or class discussions. This ensures students understand the content they submit and discourages misuse of AI.
- If needed, use generative AI tools as a starting point for your research. Generative AI tools can provide you with some useful information, but it is not a substitute for conducting your own research. AI can be incorrect and inaccurate. Use generative AI tools to explore topics and generate ideas but ensure that you delve deeper into the subject matter and use other resources to validate your findings. You need to make sure you do fact check, use proper and legitimate sources. These tools can assist in idea generation and brainstorming; however, AI tools should never replace primary, peer-reviewed sources or substitute for conducting your own in-depth research. AI-generated content can contain inaccuracies, biases, or outdated information, so it is essential to cross-check AI-provided facts with reliable, scholarly sources. AI tools may present fictional or biased information. Students must validate all claims, quotations, or citations with peer-reviewed or primary sources.
- Avoid copying and pasting content from generative AI tools. Even if you give credit to the source, the act of copying and pasting extensive portion of text is not acceptable. Use these tools to understand concepts and ideas but rephrase the information in your own words. When using AI for writing assistance, always ensure that you contribute significantly to the thought process and development of your assignment.
- Double-check the accuracy of the information and the primary sources and references provided by generative AI tools. Generative AI tools may not always be accurate or up to date. Ensure that you verify the information provided by generative AI tools with other sources.
- Be honest and ethical in your use of generative AI tools. Avoid using these tools to cheat or deceive your professors or peers. Remember that academic integrity is essential to your academic success and personal growth. Academic integrity is a cornerstone of your educational journey and essential to personal and professional development.
- Consult with your professors or academic advisors or related office if you have any questions or concerns about the use of generative AI tools. They can provide you with guidance and support to ensure that you are using these tools in a responsible and ethical manner.
- If your faculty member has authorized the use of AI, you need to follow the APA Style for referencing its use. You can find some additional examples on referencing AI here: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt).