It has been a relatively short time since Generative Artificial Intelligence (henceforth, we shall call it “GenAI”) started shaking the foundations of academic writing—its methods, integrity, and expectations—like a storm. As an Academic Skills Tutor working for a higher education institution where both instruction and assessment are heavily dependent on academic writing, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I said I am reporting from the eye of the storm, and I have to admit; it hasn’t been a smooth ride so far!
To further the metaphor, it is a bit bothersome to observe my students being tossed about in the storm. Not every way they use GenAI in their writing is acceptable, and violations of academic integrity – accidental and deliberate – cause turbulence in their studies. Some were even withdrawn from their degrees due to the severity of their cases. The good news is that we in the Academic Skills Team have resources to help you interact with AI tools in smart and ethical ways. These can be found on our AI guidance page.
My personal observation is that it’s time for institutions to slowly shift towards swift-footed, proactive measures and train students for smart and ethical use of GenAI. In the meantime, there are a few important things to pay attention to in order to avoid academic misconduct allegations. These are as follows…
Transparency
One key element to understand when it comes to GenAI is transparency. In academic writing we use external sources because we cannot know every aspect of the topic we’re writing about. Then, we use citations and references to acknowledge where the information comes from. This is just one reason why current forms of GenAI do not go well with academic writing — we simply don’t know where they retrieve the information from. To make things worse, the references they do provide often point to completely imaginary sources. There is just no substitute for careful, thoughtful, personal research. Additionally, I’d recommend disclosing any particular AI assistance during the writing process: data visualisation, data/text analysis, real-life case generation, or as an assistive technology. The referencing guidelines on Learning Success Hub’s website now show easy ways to cite GenAI tools like ChatGPT, too.
Originality
Just as we cannot rely on GenAI in terms of our research, we also need to avoid relying on it while writing. Think of it this way: if a sculptor prepares the concrete or plaster mixture themselves but pours the mixture into a ready-made mould instead of carving or shaping a statue from scratch, could the result still be considered an original work? What makes a piece of academic writing original is not the fact that its content is groundbreaking and norm-shaking (it wouldn’t hurt to shake norms from time to time, though); it’s how a person approaches the topic, how they blend their unique perspectives, and what evidence they base their argumentation on. When students use GenAI tools to generate discussions or paraphrase sentences or rewrite their texts in “better” English, they deprive themselves of this perfect opportunity create work that is an authentic representation of themselves.
Curiosity
The third and last point I’d like to emphasise is a secret power I’d typically reveal only for a fee, yet in the name of love and gentle care, I shall unveil it: the power of asking! If you are allergic to garlic, and if you are to eat a dish that might potentially contain garlic, you would ask the restaurant before ordering. Well, what I’m trying to say is there is no harm in consulting with people who could be more knowledgeable about fair GenAI use — such as your lecturers and/or LSH Academic Skills Tutors — before finalising and submitting a piece of writing. We are always available to help you, and we can be contacted (or booked for a 1:1) through our online booking form.
I don’t think that GenAI is going anywhere soon, and I do think that academic writing is too established and essential a practice to get rid of just because integrity is difficult to maintain. Institutions, educators, and students; we can all work together to figure out ways of dealing with this passing storm and say “aye aye” to fair use of GenAI in academic writing.
