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.
ChatGPT and Generative AI have raised issues and concerns surrounding academic integrity, its application, and even its definition. You can recap on the RCSI academic integrity principles here.
Generative AI tools can undermine academic integrity by allowing learners (and researchers) to submit entire essays, projects, research etc., that are not their own. This could be considered plagiarism and furthermore, over-reliance could disrupt the development of key skills like critical thinking.
At this present time, any AI generative tool should be employed with balance in mind. To learn more about how writing, research, and academic integrity will likely change in the future owing to AI, read this fascinating summary.
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 isn’t a clear consensus yet and so you must always check your school/department guidelines or ask your instructor if you’re not sure. For now, 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.