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Starting Your Research

A starting point for learning about how to conduct scholarly research using Library resources.

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We STRONGLY encourage you to complete this short tutorial: Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism so you are clear about what constitutes plagiarism.

What is Plagiarism?

The University of Lethbridge's Student Discipline Policy defines plagiarism as the representation of "the words, ideas, images, or data of another person or entity as [one's] own."

Plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, is considered a serious academic offence. The penalties for committing plagiarism range from a reduced grade on an assignment to a grade of 'F' in a course. Under some circumstances, a more severe penalty, such as suspension or expulsion, may be imposed. It is thus very important to understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Avoiding Plagiarism

It is expected that you consult and use others' research in your writing; however, when you do, you must cite the source of the information. To fail to do so is plagiarism. The following paragraphs should help you determine when you must cite and when a citation isn't necessary.

When to Cite

Whenever you are presenting the words, ideas, images, or data of someone other than yourself, you must cite the source. This includes paraphrases, because even though the words are your own, the idea you're presenting is not. When paraphrasing, ensure that the wording is actually your own; simply rearranging a few of the author's words or replacing them with a few synonyms is not paraphrasing and constitutes plagiarism. When quoting directly, place quotation marks around the author's exact words.

Most citation styles require both an in-text citation (placed immediately following the words, idea, etc. borrowed from another source) and a bibliography or reference list entry at the end of your paper. See our Cite Sources guide for instructions on how to cite properly.

When Not to Cite

If the wording is your own and the idea being expressed is your own, no citation is necessary. It is not plagiarism, as you are not presenting the ideas or words of someone else.

In addition, if an idea or fact is widely known and not disputed, it is considered common knowledge and does not need to be cited. This information is generally known by everyone within the discipline and can be found in numerous sources. When unfamiliar with a discipline, as many students are, it can be difficult to know what is common knowledge and what is specialized knowledge that requires a citation. It is always best to err on the side of caution. When in doubt, cite it.

Sample uses of AI and related guidance

Be alert to potential problems and limitations with AI-generated content. Here are two potential issues: 

Hallucinations – False outputs that are generated by some types of AI tools, such as ChatGPT.  Beware of using or citing inaccurate or false claims made by these tools.   

 

Bias – AI generated content is influenced by the norms and thinking of humans. Be alert to the strong potential for problematic biases in the outputs (examples of bias include racist content, gender-bias etc). 

 

This chart can help you determine when it is ok to use AI, when it's not, and when you need to cite it:

 

 


Please note: Sometimes plagiarism checking software (such as TurnItIn) may flag work that has been written on a machine that has AI software installed (such as Grammarly). Always be aware of this possibility when writing or reviewing and ensure the lines of communications are open with your professor to be aware of what is permissible in the course but also what inadvertent use of AI may have occurred.

 

Student Guide: Should I use AI?

flow chart for AI use decision

from https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2023/08/student-guide-should-i-use-ai.html

 

Interested in learning more about academic integrity? Check out this module

AI (like Chat GPT)... what you need to know!

You may have heard about AI programs like ChatGPT (and others) that can produce written, musical, artistic, and other types of work for you. You must be very careful if you use these tools, and ONLY if your instructor has said it is ok. If they do, be sure you cite the tool just as you would cite any other source (check under 'other sources' for examples). If your instructor has not allowed the use of these tools, it is considered an academic offence and will be dealt with as any other plagiarism case.

How to cite AI Generated Content

If you are using generative AI tools in your work, you must cite it properly. We have added examples of how to cite generative AI to our existing citation guides:

Information for students about the use of AI tools for academic work

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies, such as ChatGPT, to generate, create or refine content submitted as an academic assignment or other academic work, including research, may be permitted, or even encouraged, by the instructor or a student’s supervisory committee. However, the instructor or committee may also specify that AI tools cannot be used or that only certain AI tools and technologies can be used. Permission should be provided in writing by the instructor, for instance, as part of the course syllabus or as feedback for the thesis proposal. 

It is important to ask your instructors ahead of time if and how you are allowed to use AI in your courses.   

If the instructor has provided permission, the AI tools and technologies used and the specific content affected by their use must be disclosed in writing as part of the work submitted by the student, and cited as per an accepted style guide (MLA; APA; Chicago) 

 

However, students are advised to avoid plagiarism and other academic offences when using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.  Do not represent the work of others as your own work. The term “others” includes other people or work generated by algorithms or other computing means.    This applies to research, academic assignments, assessments or other components of any course or program of study, whether the plagiarized material constitutes a part, or the entire work submitted.  

 

Students who use AI tools without instructors’ or supervisors’ permission or appropriate attribution (citations) may be in violation of the Student Discipline Policy – Academic Offences (undergraduate; graduate), including sections 2, 6 or 7.   

Student Guide to Navigating AI