Citation/Transparency | Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Seneca Polytechnic

Some text-generation tools, such as ChatGPT, don’t cite the sources of the information in the text they generate, or if they do, these may be fictional. Students using such tools, such as in the idea generation process, may not have access to the original sources in order to properly cite those in their own work. They may therefore inadvertently include ideas from other sources in their written work that should be cited, and could have been if the students did the research themselves. It would be useful to talk with students about this situation, noting that they should always verify information from generative AI tools as there can be errors and verify citations in their own source. (Note: Some generative AI tools connected to the internet, such as Copilot and Perplexity, do link to sources for information provided.)

By fully and correctly citing AI generated content, you are:

• Upholding the principle of academic integrity by giving due credit to your sources
• Providing transparency about the origin of the information, which can have a different bias profile than human-generated content
• Contributing to the important task of tracking the influence of AI in our collective knowledge, highlighting its role in various domains

Adapted from Generative Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning Copyright © 2023 by Centre for Faculty Development and Teaching Innovation, Centennial College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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