Guidelines on the use of AI tools for writing assignments

Critical skills for (writing) assignments

These guidelines apply to all (writing) assignments and bachelor's and master's dissertations within the Bachelor and Master of Criminological Sciences programs at the Faculty of Law and Criminology, unless communicated otherwise by the responsible lecturer.

Throughout your university education, it is important to demonstrate critical and problem-solving skills while completing (writing) assignments and conducting research. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a significant technological development that can be utilised to support the process of (writing) assignments.

You can use GenAI tools at various stages of a (writing) assignment or research project: from setting up a research plan to the written and oral presentation of (parts of) the research.

If you use GenAI tools while carrying out a (writing) assignment or bachelor's or master's dissertation, maintaining a critical mindset and adhering to the principles of academic integrity remain essential. Therefore, we provide you with guidelines for the responsible use of GenAI tools while completing a (writing) assignment and the bachelor's and master's dissertation.

Responsible use of generative AI tools

These guidelines are intended to provide you with a framework for the responsible use of GenAI tools within the UGent context. Please note: the use of such tools can also lead to infringement of copyright or breach of other intellectual property rights, even if you did not intend to do so. As a student, the responsibility for the use of these tools and any infringements that result from their use lies with you.

There are specific guidelines outlined below for the different stages that you go through while completing an assignment: Please note that not every recommendation is equally relevant for every type of (writing) assignment or research project. Reflect on your assignment and assess which guidelines are most relevant for your specific case.

Researching source material

Good to know

To search for (recent) source material and subsequently critically selecting, analysing and processing this information, you can use GenAI tools such as Perplexity, Elicit, Scite, Copilot or Research Rabbit. These tools can complement your search in other well-known databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, Sociological Abstracts, and Scopus, as well as legal databases such as Jur@, Strada Lex, LexNow, Westlaw, HEIN Online, Kluwer Law Online, SSRN, and others. Always critically review all your search results. The onus lies on you to thoroughly read and process the source material you gather.

Allowed

You may search for relevant references and source material, but you must always consult the original source. In your (writing) assignment, bachelor's or master's dissertation, you will always need to reference the original source.

Attention

Critically assess every result from GenAI tools, just as you would critically select literature from existing scientific databases. This applies to both criminological and legal research. In addition to a critical reading of the literature, bear in mind that for criminological research, GenAI tools are often not trained on specific sources relevant to this field. Criminological sources, such as relevant parliamentary documents, police data, prison statistics, and policy documents, are typically not included in the datasets these tools use to generate answers. Moreover, these tools cannot reliably assess which sources are pertinent to a specific criminological question, nor can they accurately interpret the relationships between different theoretical approaches or research findings. The language models that support GenAI tools focus on linguistic similarities rather than conceptual and content-linked relevance. The output can sometimes be superficial, off-topic, or even entirely incorrect.

Critical thinking is not innate but develops as you immerse yourself in academic literature on your subject. It is also crucial to only use GenAI tools for tasks that you can understand and perform well yourself, so you can properly evaluate and verify the output.

Be aware that a GenAI tool:

• is sensitive to biases; stay extra vigilant and alert about this. For example, a GenAI tool may present a skewed viewpoint or rely on certain preconceptions. The source material (e.g., primarily English-language sources) with which the GenAI system is trained can also lead to bias. GenAI systems often address criminological, theoretical, methodological and legal theoretical questions from an Anglo-American perspective, with little consideration for other perspectives and research traditions (e.g., from continental Europe or the Global South).
• can (unintentionally) generate non-existent sources. Always look for the original source.
• can, in principle, provide summaries of your source material. However, these summaries are often very brief and lack nuance, and they are not written from the perspective or with the research question you have in mind as a researcher.

Not allowed

You are not permitted to reference (GenAI-generated) non-existent sources. This is a form of fraud.

Formulating research questions and methods

Good to know

You can use a GenAI tool to generate research questions and develop various research methods for collecting and processing data. Examples include generating a list of possible questions or hypotheses within your research field, or formulating possible questions for a survey or interview.

Allowed

You may brainstorm for possible research questions, methods, and ways to collect data. Additionally, you can use GenAI applications for:

• developing/refining the research question;
• assessing the scientific relevance of the topic;
• evaluating the societal relevance of a topic;
• suggestions for (alternative) theoretical frameworks;
• literature suggestions;
• assessing the feasibility of the research.

Attention

A GenAI tool can provide many suggestions; critically assess these and formulate your final research questions yourself. Evaluate the proposed research methods to determine whether they are feasible and appropriate for answering your specific research question. Be sure to contact your responsible lecturer, supervisor, or promoter in time to discuss your final, self-developed proposals.

Analysing research data and results

Good to know

When analysing and evaluating criminological (and legal) sources, insights, and datasets, you can use a GenAI tool to assist you. However, you need to be able to assess which analyses are most appropriate for a specific dataset or research results based on the research questions and hypotheses. A GenAI tool can generate, analyse, and visualise data, but some important issues and restrictions apply.

Be aware that your prompts and all other texts you enter into the tool may be used as training data for GenAI tools. With free GenAI tools, you "pay" for their use with your textual input. To prevent this, some GenAI tools (like ChatGPT) offer an opt-out feature, usually found in your account settings. Make sure to use this feature.

Allowed

• You may brainstorm for possible ways (statistical tests, types of charts, etc.) to analyse or visualise data. Identifying patterns in qualitative data, for instance, can be simplified with the help of GenAI tools. Consider, for example, identifying trends in publicly accessible parliamentary sources and political party platforms regarding crime and how it is (or should be) addressed. You could also use it to analyze criminal justice policies to determine which issues are being prioritized.
• For certain types of criminological research, it may be helpful to generate code, such as for processing datasets that contain literature and perform a topic modeling analysis. You may use GenAI to help generate code, critically evaluate it and then run it in data processing software like Nvivo, R, Python, GIS packages, or their equivalents. GenAI tools can also assist in optimising your code. However, make sure you fully understand the code yourself.

Attention

• Analyses and evaluations of (criminological and legal) sources, arguments and datasets always use a particular assessment framework and relevant criteria. Yet, GenAI tools are often not transparent about which frameworks and criteria they use. This can be problematic since criminological issues are complex and require a mix of methodological and theoretical perspectives. You must be able to justify why a source or argument is relevant and convincing. When using GenAI tools, it is important to critically assess the analytical frameworks being applied and ensure that the output aligns with the theoretical and methodological requirements of your research. Criminological research can vary from the statistical analysis of crime data to qualitative research methods such as in-depth interviews or ethnographic studies. GenAI tools often cannot independently understand or correctly apply these kinds of nuances.
• A GenAI tool may generate incorrect code or give incorrect advice when optimising your code.
• GenAI tools are not always transparent about what happens to the information and data you enter as a user. You may not know what will be done with your data afterwards. Therefore, it is recommended to only share fictitious datasets with a GenAI tool after they have been adjusted in terms of variables, data types and formats, containing only dummy data. The output from this dummy test analysis can assist you in subsequently working with your own dataset in data processing software such as R, Python or equivalents.

Not allowed

• Due to the data protection and intellectual property considerations, you may not enter copyright-protected texts, research data (including texts), or confidential (personal) information from interviews, research hypotheses, surveys, or court rulings into GenAI tools. If necessary, discuss with your responsible lecturer or promoter what is considered 'confidential' within your specific research.
• You may not use GenAI-generated datasets, fictional interviews, etc., as research data. This is considered a form of fraud.

Writing assistance

Good to know

GenAI tools can help improve your texts and make your writing process more efficient. They can act as writing assistants for (cosmetic or minor) improvements to your own text, but they should not take over the entire research and writing process. Mastering academic writing is essential for your academic development. By independently organising your thoughts while writing, you develop understanding of complex information and gradually learn to critically engage with source material.

You learn to consider different perspectives, build arguments, and draw well-supported conclusions — skills that will be essential later in your career. In this respect, the more important question is whether using GenAI tools is a good idea, rather than simply if you are “allowed” to use them.

Allowed 

• You are allowed to identify and correct language errors (spelling, grammar) in the text you have written yourself.
• You may seek inspiration to rephrase sentences you have written (e.g., adjusting sentence structure, finding synonyms, or adapting informal language to a different (academic) register).
• You may use GenAI tools to help translate sentences you have written.
• You may use well-researched prompts to generate content with a GenAI tool and incorporate the generated ideas, content, and/or (literal or paraphrased) text into your work, provided you do so in a scientifically responsible manner. This means critically evaluating the GenAI tool's output, fully understanding the content, and following all other guidelines outlined in this document (see especially point 6: Transparency about GenAI use in your research).

Attention

GenAI-generated texts are not considered reliable sources for academic research and cannot be used without thorough critical reflection on their output. You must critically assess whether you agree with the (modifications to your) text and whether you fully understand the (revised) content. Pay attention to word choice and sentence structure, avoiding the use of adjectives or phrases you wouldn't normally use.

Review your texts carefully and be creative and original without compromising the scientific integrity of your research. As the author, you are responsible for the accuracy of the text you submit. During an assessment, for example, you may be asked to explain your choice of words and sentence structures.

Not allowed

“Writing assistance” refers to support, not full authorship (including research and writing). Presenting GenAI-generated text as your own without respecting the principles of responsible GenAI use is a form of plagiarism.

Preparing a presentation

good to know

A GenAI tool can support you in preparing an oral presentation by generating suggestions for the structure, content, or possible questions. It can also help create (PowerPoint) slides and illustrative images.

Allowed

• You are allowed to generate ideas and tips to inspire the preparation of your presentation.
• You may generate a list of potential questions to prepare for the oral defense.
• You may use a GenAI tool to explain difficult concepts or ideas in a clear way for a broader audience.
• You can generate images to illustrate your presentation, provided you correctly reference the source, e.g., “image/illustration generated by [AI tool].” Note: Just like all GenAI outputs, these images may unintentionally contain copyrighted material. Using such images outside the strict educational context carries certain risks.

Attention

It is strongly discouraged to present slides that you do not fully understand. Keep in mind that you must be able to explain what is on the slides and why you made certain choices.

Not allowed

You may not use GenAI-generated images in your presentation without proper source attribution giving the impression that you created them yourself.

Transparency about GenAI use

Good to know 

The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2023 revised edition) states: “Researchers design, carry out, analyse, and document research in a careful, transparent, and well-considered manner. […] Researchers report their results and methods, including the use of external services or AI and automated tools, in a way that is compatible with the accepted norms of the discipline and facilitates verification or replication, where applicable.”

Allowed

• Add a (brief) explanation to your (writing) assignment, bachelor’s or master’s dissertation, or presentation, specifying details of your GenAI use. You should explain (1) which GenAI tools were used and where, and (2) how these tools were used.
  
  An example of a short explanation: “For this master’s dissertation, Perplexity was used to search for academic literature. ChatGPT 3.5 was used to brainstorm for a suitable title for the dissertation and for inspiration regarding the research question. During the writing process, ChatGPT 3.5 was used to correct spelling and grammar in the introduction and discussion sections of the dissertation.”
• Depending on the extent of your use of a GenAI tool, it may be advisable to provide a more detailed explanation in the methodology chapter. You could include why you chose a particular tool and why you did not use another or similar tool.
• In some cases, it may be necessary to include the text generated by a GenAI tool as an appendix to your work.

Specific guidelines for citing GenAI tools in a few relevant citation styles can be found on the following websites:

APA citation format: check out the blog post about citing ChatGPT

V&A citation format

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation: The University of Washington provides basic information on the use of The Bluebook. 

OSCOLA citation format (check out the research tip)

MLA citation format

Attention

• Check whether your lecturer or supervisor imposes additional or different requirements.
• Summaries of literature or other content generated by GenAI applications may sometimes be based on actual books or articles without proper citation. As a result, using a GenAI tool can sometimes lead to plagiarism, which can be sanctioned at UGent in accordance with the provisions in the Education and Examination Code.
• Be aware that GenAI tools can also generate text, images, and other output that may incorporate elements from copyrighted works. If you directly use this output, you risk being accused of copyright infringement.

Not allowed 

“Hiding the use of AI or automated tools in the creation of content or drafting of publications” is considered an unacceptable practice in the context of research integrity, as per the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2023 revised edition).

More information

• Explore UGent's policy on the use of GenAI tools
• Check out the Ufora learning path “Generative AI for Students – From Concepts to Creation”