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Core Principles for Responsible AI Use

Follow Instructor Guidelines

Always check with your instructor for statements on AI use. Your instructor's guidelines take precedence over recommendations covered in this guide. If the course guidelines are unclear, ask your instructor for clarification before using AI tools in your coursework. Guidance provided by one instructor does not apply to other courses or instructors.

Maintain Academic Integrity

The work you create for courses must be your own. This means:

  • Your judgment and ideas must be represented in your work
  • If you use external resources including AI, apply your own analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and critique
  • Paraphrasing AI output does not make it your own work, make sure to properly cite your sources
  • You remain responsible for the accuracy and quality of all submitted work

Be Transparent and Document Usage

When using AI tools, you must:

  • Clearly acknowledge and cite AI-generated content
  • Document the specific tools used and how they were used
  • Record your prompts, drafts, outlines, revision history, and overall process to demonstrate your work if required
  • Keep evidence of your process, including prompt history and revisions, to help establish authorship if questions arise
  • Carefully review and verify all citations, sources, and AI-generated information for accuracy
  • Understand that AI assistance does not transfer authorship or responsibility for submitted work
  • Include appropriate acknowledgments in assignments, thesis, or other submitted materials

Think Critically About Outputs

AI tools can produce convincing but inaccurate, incomplete, or biased information. For example, if an AI tool provides a statistic, quotation, or citation, confirm it by checking the original source or a reliable academic database before using it in your work. Always:

  • Review outputs carefully and critically
  • Verify facts against reliable academic or professional sources
  • Check for and address false, harmful, or biased content before sharing
  • Cross-reference with peer-reviewed articles, textbooks, or library resources

Respect Intellectual Property and Copyright

Be mindful of copyright and intellectual property considerations:

  • Do not submit materials created by instructors or other students to AI tools without permission.
  • Understand the copyright status of materials you upload to AI tools
  • Do not upload copyright-protected materials (such as journal articles from library databases)
  • Avoid entering personal information, private student data, placement or client information, unpublished research data, or institutional documents into AI tools unless they have clear permission and it is allowed by policy.
  • Be aware that AI-generated content may inadvertently reproduce copyrighted or intellectual property material, including image generation outputs that are often trained on or influenced by copyrighted works.

If you have any questions about this topic, please reach out to library services.

When AI Use is Appropriate AI

AI tools are most effective when used to support your learning, thinking, and creativity, rather than replace them. AI should help you develop your own understanding and skills, not complete academic work on your behalf.

With Explicit Permission

Use AI only when your instructor has explicitly permitted it. You must:

  • Use only the approved AI tools
  • Follow the specified usage guidelines exactly
  • Document your usage with prompts and outputs
  • Properly cite all AI-generated content

Example: If your instructor permits you to ask an AI tool for five arguments for and against a topic, but requires you to critically discuss them using library sources, you may only use AI for generating the initial arguments, not for the critical analysis.

As a Study Aid

Note

You cannot upload instructor-created content (such as lecture slides, notes, or assessments) without permission, and instructors are equally prohibited from uploading student work into AI tools without student consent. AI-generated study materials may contain inaccuracies and should not be your only study source. The direct outputs of AI study aids cannot appear in submitted coursework unless explicitly permitted.

Outside of assessed coursework, AI can support your personal learning:

  • Generating practice exam questions and quizzes
  • Explaining difficult concepts in different ways or in plain language
  • Acting as a tutor for practice and exploration
  • Providing an introduction to new topics

Academic Integrity Violations

Using AI inappropriately can result in serious academic misconduct charges under Confederation College's Academic Integrity Policy. The following are violations:

Plagiarism

Representing words or ideas as your own without crediting their source. In the context of AI, this includes presenting AI-generated text, ideas, or content as your own original work, as well as failing to attribute AI-generated material used in quotations, paraphrases, or as a source of information.

Unauthorized Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Using AI tools, particularly foundational models, to generate writing, computer code, images, or other content from minimal human prompting and submitting that work as your own. There will be instances where AI use is permitted for productive and ethical academic purposes, but these will be explicitly introduced and guided by your professor as part of your learning.

Cheating

Using or attempting to use unauthorized AI assistance in any academic exercise, including assignments, tests, or examinations. This includes representing AI-generated work as your own or violating any rules your professor has set governing the use of AI tools.

Fabrication

Submitting invented or falsified data, citations, or information. AI tools can generate false information, fabricated research findings, or nonexistent citations, commonly called "hallucinations." Submitting such content constitutes fabrication, even if you were unaware the AI produced false material.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty

Intentionally helping or attempting to help another person commit an act of academic dishonesty using AI, such as completing work on their behalf using AI tools or sharing AI-generated work for others to submit as their own.

Critical Evaluation of AI Content

Critical thinking is essential when working with AI-generated content. AI tools can produce convincing, well-written responses that lack reliable sources, contain outdated information, present incomplete explanations, or include completely false claims.

Why Critical Thinking Matters

AI generates responses by predicting likely word patterns based on training data, not by understanding truth or accuracy. As a student, you must evaluate AI outputs the same way you would evaluate any other source:

  • Check facts against reliable academic or professional references
  • Identify potential biases or one-sided perspectives
  • Look for missing details important for nuanced understanding
  • Cross-verify with peer-reviewed articles, textbooks, or library resources
  • Consider alternative perspectives and interpretations

AI should be a starting point for research, not the final word on any subject.

The SIFT Method for Evaluation

The SIFT method, developed by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield [1], provides a practical framework for critically evaluating online information, including AI-generated content:

Stop

Pause before reacting, sharing, or believing information. Consider your emotional response and ask yourself:

  • Do I know this source?
  • What is my purpose for using this information?
  • Could this be sensationalized or misleading?
  • Am I rushing to accept information without reflection?
Investigate the Source

Research who or what is behind the information:

  • Look up credentials and expertise of cited authors or sources
  • Check websites' "About" pages or mission statements
  • Consider potential biases or conflicts of interest
  • Use lateral reading: open other tabs to see what reputable sources say about this source
Find Better Coverage

Look for other trustworthy sources on the same topic:

  • Check well-known news outlets or academic publications
  • Consult fact-checking websites
  • Compare multiple perspectives for a fuller picture
  • Be wary if credible sources do not confirm the claims
Trace Claims Back to the Original Context

Identify and verify the original source of information:

  • Find original studies, reports, or interviews that are cited
  • Check whether quotes or statistics are used accurately and in full context
  • Be cautious about manipulated or out-of-context media
  • Verify that sources actually exist and say what is claimed

Using the SIFT method helps you approach AI content with appropriate skepticism while benefiting from its capabilities.

Note

[1] University of Chicago, The SIFT Method(opens in new window)

Acknowledging AI Use

If you are permitted to use GenAI in your work, you must follow your instructor's guidelines on how it may be used and ensure you are transparent about that use. Transparency is a core part of academic integrity. This page covers two distinct responsibilities: disclosing how you used AI, and citing AI tools as sources where applicable.

Disclosure

When you use GenAI tools to create content, it is essential to disclose that use. Disclosure is not the same as citation, it is a transparency statement that explains how AI contributed to your work, whether for generating ideas, drafting text, editing, summarizing, or other purposes.

Disclosure statements help your audience, including your instructor, understand the role AI played in your work. This fosters trust and upholds academic integrity standards.

Recommended Disclosure Format

Include the following three elements in your disclosure statement:

  • Tool: The name (e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude) and version of the AI tool used.
  • Purpose: What you used the tool for (e.g., brainstorming, drafting, editing, summarizing)
  • Prompt: the prompt(s) you entered to generate the content

Example Disclosure Statement: Microsoft Copilot was used to generate ideas for this assignment using the following prompt: "List five potential arguments for the ethical use of AI in healthcare."

Disclosure statements can be brief or detailed depending on the scope of AI use and your instructor's expectations. When in doubt, err on the side of more transparency and consult your instructor directly.

What Else to Include

Depending on your instructor's requirements, you may also be asked to submit:

  • A note describing your modifications to the AI-generated content
  • The original AI output alongside your final submission
  • In-text and bibliographic citations (see below)

Citing AI Tools

In addition to disclosing your use of AI, you may need to formally cite the AI tool as a source, especially if you are directly incorporating AI-generated content into your work. Citation formats for AI tools are still evolving, and different style guides handle them differently. The examples below reflect current guidance from each style.

APA (7th Edition)

APA treats AI-generated text similarly to personal communications or software. Cite the company as the author and include the date, tool name, and a note about the generated nature of the content.

Format: Company Name. (Year). Tool name (Version) [Large language model]. URL
Example: OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
In-Text: (OpenAI, 2024)

In your text, describe the prompt and note that the content was AI-generated. APA recommends including the prompt in the text or as a footnote if it is essential to understanding the content.