The ability to think independently is crucial in academia, and can be diminished through excessive use of chatbots. Be aware of how and when you use artificial intelligence (AI) in your assignment writing.
The contents of this page is based on INN's regulations on what is considered cheating on exams.
Use of AI-generated text
Chatbots use algorithms to generate text and can consequently contain errors, misleading or biased information. Even if the generated text seems convincing, chatbots cannot be relied on as authoritative sources of knowledge. Chatbots can fabricate both sources and direct quotes because they reproduce text on which they are trained.
For these reasons, it is crucial that you know how to assess the credibility of the information by using external, reliable sources.
It's important to be aware that chatbots are not a verifiable source, and therefore shouldn't be used as one.
You are personally responsible for ensuring that your text is an independent piece of work!
The sources you refer to must be verifiable, meaning they can be found by others. Chatbots produce texts without real, accountable authors and are consequently neither a reliable nor verifiable source. If chatbots refer to reliable sources, use these sources instead of referencing the chatbot. This aligns with the library's recommendation for using for example Wikipedia.
Chatbots and plagiarism
Plagiarism, whether intentional or due to gross negligence, is considered cheating in higher education.
- Plagiarism means presenting someone else's work and expressions as your own without citing the source, this also applies to AI.
- Copying or transcribing texts without in-text citation is considered plagiarism, regardless of the source you might use.
- If you present machine-generated claims, statistics, artwork, coding, or the like without a citation in your writing, it is considered plagiarism.
- You should be careful about feeding chatbots with your own and others' text, both in terms of privacy, and in that you do not know where this text ends up or is stored.
How can I use chatbots as a tool in assignment writing?
Chatbots can be used as a tool or an assistant in the learning process. What chatbots can be used for more specifically will depend on the guidelines set by the academic environment of each study program.
All use of chatbots should be transparent. This means that in an exam assignment or work requirement, where AI is allowed, you may be asked to describe how you used AI in your text, and which tools you used, in accordance with the rules from Citation compass.
Chatbots can possibly have several capabilities as tools:
- simplifying, limiting or condensing an issue
- generating good search words based on the issue/prompt, making it easier to search for scientific sources
- proofreading your text
- giving feedback on content and structure
- acting as a discussion partner
- translating text or generating codes
What chatbots can be used for more specifically will depend on what the academic environment of your study program allows. Always read the assignment text carefully.
Resources
Recommended resources on how to write references and citations to chatbots and other AI tools: