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What are current best practices?
While guidelines will vary by discipline, general best practices for citing generative AI using APA style include:
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Acknowledging and describing the use of the generative AI tool, including a description of the tool, prompt engineering process, and how it is used (e.g., drafting, summarizing, analyzing data).
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Attributing authorship to the company (i.e., Open AI, Anthropic, Google) not the generative AI software. Remember, software is not considered an author or creator, but the developing company is.
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Including the version and access date in the citation, as different versions may provide varied outputs, and this information helps maintain a scholarly record.
Should I consider requiring students to submit a list of all the prompts and all responses from generative AI?
The decision to request a complete prompt history depends on what you value in the assignment. If understanding a student's thought or research process is important, then it could be useful to ask for all prompts. Students using generative AI should already acknowledge and describe its usage in their work. Requesting all prompts and responses may lead to a longer document, but the necessity and length will depend on your specific requirements and the nature of the assignment.
Should I prompt generative AI for references? What happens if I do and what happens if I don’t?
You can ask for references from generative AI, but be aware that these tools may produce incorrect information or citations. It's not advisable to rely on generative AI for research on ill-defined, obscure, non-mainstream, non-Western, personal, or unfamiliar topics without verifying the information from multiple sources. Asking for references allows you to cross-reference the information for accuracy and relevance, but don't expect the AI to consistently provide accurate or comprehensive reference lists or bibliographies.
If a student uses generative AI to produce work and that work contains information that is not properly cited (i.e., plagiarized), is the student responsible?
Large language models like ChatGPT can produce text that is plagiarized, false, or illegal, because they do not understand the meaning, context, or implications of the words they generate. Anyone who reproduces someone else’s idea without proper citation commits plagiarism, whether it is done knowingly or unknowingly. To avoid plagiarism and avoid promoting misinformation, students should cross-reference statements from generative AI with multiple sources and cite an original scholarly source in addition to acknowledging the use of the AI tool and providing prompts if requested. Instructors can seek assistance from the McLeod Business Library to help students accomplish this goal.
Should I consider using AI-detection tools (e.g., Turnitin, GPTZero) to detect generative AI?
Tools exist that claim to differentiate AI-produced content from human-written work, but they often generate false results. A study (not yet peer-reviewed) submitted to the International Journal for Educational Integrity found these tools to be neither accurate nor reliable, often misclassifying AI-generated text as human-written. If you decide to use these AI-detection tools, the McLeod Business Library recommends that you do so with care.
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