The advent of advanced AI writing assistants like ChatGPT has enabled new possibilities for supporting the writing process. However, we must be mindful not to inadvertently promote plagiarism or misconduct by misusing these technologies. As students and researchers, we have an ethical obligation to produce original work and properly attribute any sources referenced. This article provides tips for using AI writing tools responsibly while upholding academic honesty standards.
Understand Plagiarism to Avoid It
Before utilizing AI writing tools, it‘s important to comprehensively understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. The Office of Research Integrity defines plagiarism as "the appropriation of another person‘s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit." This includes:
- Copying verbatim text from another source without proper citation
- Paraphrasing text very closely from a source without attribution
- Submitting work written fully or partially by a third party (including AI tools) as one‘s own original authorship
While AI tools can provide helpful starting points for writing, using their outputs directly without proper attribution or rewrite constitutes misrepresentation of authorship according to standard academic policies.
Cite Sources and Provide Attribution
The most reliable way to avoid plagiarism is to ethically utilize any source materials in your writing by:
- Properly quoting and citing any passages used from third-party sources according to style guides—always include quotation marks and in-text citations
- Paraphrasing appropriately by thoroughly rewriting suggestions in your own style and language
- Providing detailed attribution for all source materials via citations and acknowledgement of use of third-party tools that assisted in draft generation
Err on the side of over-citation when incorporating AI-generated passages or building upon third party reference materials. Not only does this protect you, it strengthens academic integrity.
Rewrite Content Extensively in Your Own Words
AI writing tools provide helpful jumping off points, but should not make up the bulk of submitted work. According to research published in the Journal of Academic Ethics on AI writing tool use:
"Student writers need to understand that while these tools may be able to provide helpful starting points, there is no substitute for original analysis and writing."
After generating draft passages from AI tools:
- Rewrite suggestions extensively putting concepts fully into your own terminology
- Build upon draft materials adding original analysis and critique
- Focus on adding your perspective versus overly relying on source text
Extensive, good faith rewriting substantively transforms draft materials into original work. This protects against plagiarism while allowing you to benefit from AI support.
Run Plagiarism Checks Before Submission
After preparing a draft with AI tool support, be sure to cross-check your work by:
- Running the written piece through academic plagiarism check software
- Carefully reviewing flagged passages and similarity scores
- Further rewriting any problematic areas that suggest over-reliance on source materials
- Confirming all source attribution meets style guidelines
Addressing areas called out by plagiarism check tools provides confirmation you have appropriately integrated drafting materials into original analysis. Most institutions consider 10% or less textual similarity to be acceptable, but thresholds vary.
Discuss Appropriate Usages with Instructors
Standards and best practices for leveraging AI tools appropriately are continuing to evolve across academic disciplines. Before extensively utilizing new writing technologies for core assignments:
- Review institutional ethics policies on use of third-party editing or writing assistance
- Ask instructors directly about appropriate vs. prohibited usages of AI writing aids for their courses
- Note any specialized discipline requirements around voices, perspectives or original research represented in student work
Ongoing communication allows developing shared understandings regarding the responsible ways to incorporate AI based writing support.
By taking these steps, we can unlock the advantages of AI productivity tools while promoting academic integrity through responsible usage. With proper attribution and rewriting, these cutting-edge assistants help facilitate original, ethical research worthy of insulating learned discourse.