AI & Research: Introduction

How AI Can Support Research

• Brainstorming: Generate research questions, keywords, or topic ideas.
• Literature review support: Use tools like EBSCO AI Insights or ProQuest’s Research Assistant to summarize academic content.
• Writing aid: Refine grammar, clarity, and tone with tools like Grammarly AI.
• Source discovery: Get suggestions for related concepts, keywords, and articles.

Note: AI tools should support your critical thinking and academic research skills, not replace them.

Ethical Considerations When Using AI

• Be transparent: Acknowledge if and how AI tools contributed to your work (e.g., summarizing, drafting, brainstorming).
• Verify accuracy: AI tools may generate errors or “hallucinate” information. Always cross-check with original sources.
• Avoid plagiarism: Don’t present AI-generated content as your own, cite it when appropriate.
• Respect course policies: Instructors may have specific guidelines on the use of AI tools. When in doubt, ask.
• Use trusted tools: Prefer institutionally supported platforms like EBSCO, ProQuest, or Grammarly for data security and reliability.

Tip: Responsible use of AI includes giving credit, validating content, and applying your own judgment.

When using AI tools like ChatGPT for research assistance, transparency is key. While AI can help generate ideas, outline content, and summarize sources, it is not a substitute for peer-reviewed scholarship. Here are some general guidelines for citing AI:

• Minor Spelling or Grammar Fixes – No citation is required if you use AI solely for small-scale proofreading, such as correcting spelling, punctuation, or grammar.
• Direct AI-Generated Text – If you use AI-generated text verbatim or with minor edits, you must cite the AI tool, clearly indicating which portions of your work come from or were significantly shaped by AI output.
• Substantive AI Assistance – If you rely on AI for outlining arguments, developing ideas, or structuring your assignment in a substantial way—even if the final wording is your own—this contribution must be acknowledged.
• Data/Information Gathering – If the AI tool provides specific facts, data, or analysis that materially informs your project, include a citation or footnote noting that the source was AI generated.

Example Citations (APA 7th Edition):