Artificial Intelligence: a guide for students

AI has complicated the concept of academic integrity. Some rationalize that “everybody uses AI,” or “AI is just like any other technology tool,” so, it does not need to be cited as a source. 

Be faithful to this principle: the work you turn in must be authentically yours. Copying AI-produced content verbatim and representing it as your own without attribution is constitutes academic dishonesty.

Cheating with AI deprives you of the opportunity to develop your own skills and intellectual confidence. Your personal development requires you to do the hard work of learning!

If your professor has a class policy indicating "no use of AI" in their class, or on individual assignments, adhere to their policy. Remember that the rules may vary on certain assignments. To avoid inadvertently engaging in academic dishonesty, ask for specific instructions on the use of AI on each assignment. 

Some assignments will permit or even require the use of AI. No matter how you use AI, the key is to be honest and transparent, giving clear attribution to the ways AI contributed to the work. 

All about attribution

Academic honesty requires that you cite (attribute) the original source of all materials that are not your own. This transparency allows others to understand where information comes from and evaluate its credibility. Plagiarism, a failure to properly attribute sources, is a serious breach of academic integrity. 

Follow instructions from your professors on how to cite the use of AI in an assignment. The rules may vary from class to class. The standards for AI attribution continue to evolve as new AI tools emerge and higher education adapts. 

Be certain you can answer YES to all of these questions:

Before you start

• My school and my professor allow the use of the AI tools I’m considering for this assignment
• I clearly understand when and how I can use AI for this assignment

Doing the work

• I am using my own thoughts, words and tone of voice
• I have checked sources generated by AI and properly cited any facts, statistics or quotes
• I have critically analyzed the AI output and identified any false, biased or harmful information
• I have documented where and how I used AI and cited that use according to my professor’s expectations
• I have not used confidential, protected or copyrighted information

When the assignment is complete

• I can explain my findings and demonstrate full understanding without the aid of AI
• I can prove what sources I used and how I verified the information

--F&M's Instructional and Emerging Technology's AI Guide