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Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research

This guide provides an overview of AI and its applications to research across scholarly fields, including AI programs at UB and ethics, attribution, and APA guidelines..

The Big Takeaway: Be Transparent About AI Elements in Your Work

To maintain academic honesty when using AI tools for papers and projects, the first thing to do is check your instructor's policy and ask questions about what AI uses are allowed. Second, consult the style rules for citations in your class (i.e., APA, MLA, AMA). Take the time to get it right.

 

Signs of Unacceptable AI Use in Coursework: Have You Seen These in Your Classes?

  • A student's paper might alternate sentences with overly formal language and sentences with informal or personal language (Patchwork).
  • Several students' presentations might contain identical slides (Uncredited AI-generated images and text).
  • When citations are included, they seem impossible to access real articles associated associated with the reference list (AI hallucinations).

 

Avoid AI Plagiarism Traps

Remembering that you are the author of your work and therefore you are responsible for reading and describing your research. Adhering to this code of authorship is the best way to stay on track as you engage with AI research tools.

  1. Read the articles you plan to cite.
  2. Make sure all AI-generated summaries are accurate, derived from the intended articles, and used as background for your own composition.
  3. Construct your own sentences and summaries, even if you have AI assistance.
  4. Acknowledge and cite all AI according to course style guidelines.

University of Bridgeport Academic Integrity Policy

POLICY STATEMENT:

The University of Bridgeport fosters an environment of academic integrity, mutual respect, and individual responsibility. The University does not tolerate academic dishonesty in any form. Disciplinary action will be imposed for any form of detected cheating or plagiarism, regardless of the student’s motive or intention.

Read the entire statement from the University of Bridgeport.

Know the Differences Between Original and AI-derived Language and Ideas

Information and language are not original to you if AI generated them. Moreover, AI-generated language, summary, and information derives from the words and thought of uncredited authors. 

You are the author of your papers, and you bear responsibility that all information in your paper is accurate, replicable, with text written by you and containing your own ideas. All sources must be cited, and while AI assistance needs to be acknowledged, it does not constitute original research or authorship.

Is My AI-generated Work Original to Me?

Reproducing information from an AI is not equivalent to presenting information from academic sources that you research, read, and write about. Use and credit any AI based on how you used it, and do not use AI to write passages of your paper or to replace reading research articles. If you use AI tools to summarize articles, for example, note the tools and how they were used, remember to read the articles and to write about them yourself, and check that the AI material is accurate and attributed according to the policies in your field (i.e., APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE).

Avoid Patchworking and Mosaic Plagiarism

Any time you integrate phrases and ideas from any source, whether original or AI, you must allow readers to see the difference between your work and the source material. 

When paraphrasing or summarizing, use all your own phrasing, even if you used AI help to read a source article.

Patchwork or Mosaic Plagiarism occurs when you drop in passages from a source and merely blend the material with your own. In research papers, students might paste in AI generated source material and then search for citations that would cover the themes of the AI-generated material, but this is a form of plagiarism both because the material did not come from the source cited and because the sentences were not written by the student about an article the student actually read.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research © 2025 by Mary Lamothe, PhD is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0