Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Resources

Plagiarism

Generative AI tools have introduced new challenges in academic integrity, particularly related to plagiarism.

Plagiarism is typically defined as presenting someone else's work or ideas as one's own. While a generative AI tool might not qualify as a "someone," using text generated from an AI tool without citing is still considered plagiarism because the work is still not the researcher's own. Individual policies for using and crediting GAI tools might vary from class to class, so looking at the syllabus and having a clear understanding from the professor is important.

A note about plagiarism detection tools:

A number of AI detection tools are currently available to publishers and institutions, but there are concerns about low rates of accuracy and false accusations. Because generative AI tools do not generate large amounts of text word-for-word from existing works, it can be difficult for automated tools to detect plagiarism. If you are using a plagiarism detection tool, please be aware of and transparent about the limitations of the tool. 

False Citations

Another area of academic integrity affected by GAI tools is that of false citations.

Providing false citations in research, whether intentional or unintentional, is an academic integrity violation. GAI tools such as ChatGPT have been known to generate false citations, and even if the citations represent actual papers, the cited content in ChatGPT might still be inaccurate.

Related Recommendations

• If GAI tools are only permitted to be used for topic development, in the early stages of research, you might not need to cite them at all, but it's still important to check with your professor first.
• If you are providing commentary or analysis on the text generated by a chatbot and are either paraphrasing its results or quoting it directly, a citation is always required. You can find more information on citing GAI tools on this guide's Citing Generative AI page.
• If you are a researcher planning to publish in a journal, it is best to review that journal's policies on the permitted use of Generative AI tools. 
• It's important to always look up citations and check to make sure they are accurate, and if you're citing information from that source, to cite the original source rather than ChatGPT or whichever GAI tool you're using.