AI and Academic Research

Review Your Syllabus

Your professor may have included in the course syllabus a statement that addresses the use of AI tools. If not, ask them.

• What is their level of tolerance with AI tools? Are they permitted at all? If so, to what extent?
• What qualifications do they place on the limitations of these tools?
• How should you cite your use of generative AI content?

What Is Being Assessed?

Is the resource/tool doing the thing for you that is being assessed?

Make sure you are doing the work that is being assessed. For example, if spelling isn’t being assessed, then you can use a spell checker. However, if your language skills are being assessed, then you shouldn't use Chat GPT or Google Translate (for example).

Inaccuracy and Bias are Built-In

AI models are trained on vast amounts of human-generated text, as a result, they may reflect and perpetuate biases and errors present in this data. Companies producing AI models often put barriers in place to prevent inaccuracy and bias, but their presence and effect are often difficult to correct (see more about this on the "Assessing" page of this guide). 

Hallucination

When AI generates incorrect information, it’s called a “hallucination." Since it is difficult at times to tell where an AI tool is sourcing its data, as a researcher, you have the responsibility to review and identify sources (see more about this on the "Assessing" page of this guide). 

Errors

AI models make mistakes. Although they process and analyze data at incredible speeds, they simply don't possess the intuitive understanding or judgment that a human possesses. We should always review and contextualize its outputs.

Uploading Articles from Library Databases

Please be aware that many library-provided resources do not allow for the use of their materials with third-party AI tools. If you have any questions regarding permissible use, please email liberm@stthomas.edu.