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AI and Library Research

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FAQ - Students

  1. Should I use GenAI when writing a research paper?
    • That depends on how you plan to use GenAI. Since researching and writing are two important skills to strengthen while in college, you don't want a machine to do it for you. Just like if you want to build muscle you have to lift weights. You can't have someone else lift the weights for you. 
    • If you use GenAI to help you brainstorm or organize or find relationships, that can be a good way to start a research paper. But when it comes time to analyzing and evaluating resources, you have to do that work. Similarly, when it comes time to sit down and write, you have to do that work.
    • We learn better and strengthen our skills when we put ourselves into a state of mind that focuses on critical thinking and analysis. If you use GenAI too often, you aren't allowing yourself time in that state of mind, and learn less along the way.
  2. Why are the issues around using “made up” or information and citations important?
    • You always want your citations to be accurate in that they link the reader back to real information collected and written by a real scholar. If you rely on a machine to find a source for you and you don't double check to see if it's real, you could be using a fictitious source.
    • GenAIs are not 100% accurate and it's goal isn't to find answers to all questions. Sometimes it simply creates information out of thin air because it's programming is to make an educated guess as to what comes next. 
  3. What are some ways to constructively use GenAI to improve my work as a student? 
    • Ask your specific instructor about what rules they have regarding the use of GenAI. Course A may have very different uses for GenAI than Course B, and so forth.
    • GenAI may be more valuable in Course B than in Course A for a variety of reasons.
    • Think about how you currently search for information. You don't want to use a GenAI as a search engine, but you could ask it simple questions like "How is X related to Y?" and then read its answers and try using that as a jumping off point. 
    • Think of it as a tiny assistant that doesn't do the work for you, but gives you little ideas to act on or write on. 
    • GenAI could help you to brainstorm or gather some ideas for a potential project. This is similar to asking it to help you find a jumping off point or stepping stone. 
    • Don't rely on it fully, but you could see examples of how it breaks complex topics into simpler concepts or language. How would you improve on what it told you? Work from there. This is another situation where you could see GenAI as a kind of "trainer" that gives you tasks to complete that help you get better at something, rather than letting it serve you.
    • Finally, GenAI could also help you organize concepts when thinking about them. Just don't assume all of its suggestions are exactly what you need. Use its answers as a starting point, not as a finish line. 
  4. If I use GenAI, do I need to cite that I used it?
    • That depends on how your instructor wants you to use it. Always remember that unless instructed to do so, you should not turn in any writing done by GenAI and pretend that you wrote it. That would be plagiarism.
  5. How do I know if I'm using GenAI too much? 
    • Ask your instructor how much is too much. 
    • You can ask them which of the following items are allowed for their course. 
    • You can ask them, "Can I use AI to ...:
    • If you find that you're not actually practicing a new skills or strengthening an old skill, you're relying on it too much. Again, education is about many things, and one of those things is to learn how to get better at certain thinking, writing, and organizing skills. You can't get better at those things if someone or something else is doing it for you. It would be like riding a bike with training wheels for the rest of your life.