AI should be used responsibly, with integrity, and of course ethically. As the sphere of AI develops and education institutes tailor their response, we need to consistently assess how this rapidly changing field may affect research, learning, teaching, and assessment.
Learners at RCSI are advised:
To always discuss the use of AI with your lecturer and/or refer to course guidelines on this subject. Depending on the specific assignment and/or course, you may be asked not to use AI, while in others AI use may be part of the overall assignment design. Communication is key!
Most institutes would consider a written assignment entirely crafted by AI as plagiarism, as it is not your own work, you are advised not to use AI in this way.
Generative AI/GEN AI have raised issues and concerns surrounding academic integrity, its application, and even its definition. Firstly, you can recap on the RCSI academic integrity principles here.
Gen AI tools can undermine academic integrity by allowing learners (and researchers) to submit entire essays, projects, research etc., that are not their own.
Typically, Gen AI does not credit any author, even though it may borrow heavily from an author's work and publications. This leaves the door wide open for cases of plagiarism.
Furthermore, over-reliance could disrupt the development of key skills like critical thinking.
Overall, any AI generative tool should be employed with balance in mind. To help you do this responsibly keep the below checklist in mind:
Gen AI: Ethical Use Checklist for Academic Integrity
Have I checked to what level I am allowed use Gen AI for my work? (May differ from assignment to assignment).
Have I acknowledged its use?
Am I avoiding plagiarism by citing AI assistance where appropriate?
Have I verified the accuracy of AI-generated content?
Does my use of AI comply with RCSI's academic integrity policy?
Am I aware of potential biases in AI outputs?
Have I considered data privacy, both for myself and if relevant, patient confidentiality?
If I have used AI in the research process, e.g., as a research assistant, have I been forthcoming about this?
Acknowledgement - It is recommended that you clearly state the you have used AI in composing your work.
Please check with your module coordinator/lecturer where in your work you should include this information. See the example:
Use of AI tools to assist in generating or editing content, and/or including refinement of writing and grammar
I acknowledge the use of [insert name of AI tool(s) and link] to generate materials for this submission. I confirm that no content generated by AI has been presented as my own work/I have referenced such content appropriately as AI generated content.
Citing AI or Referencing AI - guidelines for this are still in the process of being developed and likely will evolve as AI does so. There is no clear consensus yet and so you must always check your school/department guidelines or ask your instructor if you are not sure. Some general instructions for referencing AI are outline below.
If you use AI to help you with the writing and research process, or if you take information from AI output, you should acknowledge this in-text, citing the name of the tool/provider of the tool and the year as an acknowledgment of AI derived data.
(Open AI, 2023) or Open AI (2023).
You will also need to include a complete reference list entry. Some necessary parts of a reference list entry are:
Bard. (2023). Bard response to John Doe, 29 June 2023.
OpenAI ChatGPT. (2023). ChatGPT response to Jane Doe, 2 April 2023.
It is important to bear in mind, that more detailed guidelines may be produced for different referencing styles (i.e., Harvard, APA, Vancouver) as the area develops. Always check the department guidelines via your instructor or lecturer.
It is possible also to include full or part transcript of a response from AI in an appendix or other supplementary materials. For some more general tips on referencing and citing AI you can visit Scribbr.