AI generative tools can be a useful resource or tool to augment learning, including preliminary background research and generating preliminary outlines, but it also entails risks and can be misleading. It is not a replacement for critical thinking and you must be aware of the limitations. Be cautious in using AI for research assistance, as all existing AI apps ‘fabricate’ and supply false information and often operate at high levels of generality. In other words, don’t trust what the system says. Unless you already know the answer or can verify and corroborate with trusted sources (e.g., peer reviewed research papers), assume the AI answer is biased, lacks accountability, and often provides inaccurate information. In addition, please be aware that AI uses immense computing power and hence has an environmental footprint that we are just beginning to understand.
Barnard and Columbia have developed useful guides on generative AI and how to engage with it and maintain academic integrity. We encourage you to review the resources here and discuss this with your adviser if you plan to use AI in any way, and review citation guidelines for AI: MLA | APA.
AI should not be used as the primary source of your written text, data analysis, and/or data visualization. Since writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills are part of the learning outcomes of this course, the intellectual content of your thesis must be your original work. AI tools can be used to refine this work, and can be especially useful in refining code and other technical aspects of a proposal or thesis. The distinction between using AI to improve your own work vs. outsourcing work to AI is complex and will be discussed in class sessions dedicated to these issues.
You may use AI generative tools to brainstorm ideas, potential research topics, and preliminary outlines and help with data analysis. For example, students may use AI-powered chatbots or text-generation tools to explore different angles or perspectives related to their research topic. However, students should ensure the final submitted outline reflects their own understanding of the topic and approach to their research topic, as well as their own analysis and synthesis of the generated ideas.
Citation Guidelines:
- All sources, including AI tools, must be properly cited within the text and included in the bibliography. Text directly copied from AI sites must be treated as any other direct quote and properly cited. Please review citation guidelines for AI: MLA | APA.
- All uses of AI must be clearly described at the end of the thesis/proposal as an appendix. You must acknowledge the use of AI in any work you submit for class, including acknowledging the use for generating ideas or outlines. Students who use AI should discuss their use with the advisor throughout the semester. This will help ensure AI is being used appropriately. In addition, you should include a brief paragraph at the end of the work submission explaining how and why you used ChatGPT or other AI tools. We suggest you maintain a running log (e.g. a Google Doc) in which you record any use of AI (prompts and outputs) to make sure nothing gets lost when it comes to a proper attribution of material in the thesis/proposal to AI tools used. We reserve the right based on our assessment of your thesis/proposal to require you to revise and resubmit all or parts of the writing if we conclude that you have not used AI tools appropriately.