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Good academic writing skills are essential for the successful completion of your study programme. Learn about the best ways to write and how you can motivate yourself to write well.
Using generative AI (GenAI)
The use of generative AI programmes (GenAI) can be a valuable aid when completing academic assignments, but it also carries certain risks. It is important that you use GenAI in a responsible and authorised manner.
Follow the rules of your course or study programme
Whether you are allowed to use GenAI tools, and how, may vary depending on the course or study programme you are following. You can find out more in Brightspace or on your faculty/study programme tab.
General rules and warnings
In addition to any course or programme-specific rules, there are also general rules and risks that you must take into consideration.
Don’t commit plagiarism: be transparent
In your academic work you must always cite your sources. This also applies when using GenAI. If you present an AI-generated text as your own work, you are committing plagiarism. Even if you rewrite or translate the text. It doesn’t matter whether you do this intentionally or unintentionally.
Plagiarism is a form of fraud. The university monitors this strictly and there are serious penalties in place. In the worst-case scenario, you may be barred from taking tests and examinations for a period of one year.
So be transparent about the sources of your texts at all times. And always follow the guidelines of your lecturers and the Regulations on plagiarism.
Unreliable results: be critical
GenAI often produces texts that are incomplete and inaccurate. It can also ‘make up’ sources and quotations. As a result, a text might appear to be academically sound when this isn’t the case.
There are also indications that GenAI produces results that are based on biases, for example regarding ethnicity or gender.
It is therefore very important to take a critical look at all GenAI output. Always check whether the claims in the text are accurate and whether the sources are reliable.
Share data responsibly: think about what you are entering
Whatever you include in your prompts becomes part of the database that GenAI draws on and is therefore available to everyone. Never enter data that is sensitive in terms of privacy, or that may not be made publicly available due to copyright, intellectual property, security, or other considerations.
Sustainability: avoid waste
GenAI uses a lot of electricity and water. By using it as little as possible, you can avoid waste. Always ask yourself whether using GenAI is really necessary.
Why it is so important to use GenAI responsibly
Academic integrity
The above-mentioned risks and drawbacks of GenAI are a problem because they run counter to the principles of academic integrity: honesty, scrupulousness, transparency, independence and responsibility. As a member of the academic community, it is essential that you are aware of these issues and deal with them appropriately.
Your academic development
The reason you are studying is to gain skills and knowledge. If you use GenAI to avoid making an effort or challenging yourself, you are doing a disservice to your own development. Always ask yourself: what am I learning from this? Your learning process is far more important to your lecturers than the result you hand in. And it should be just as important to you.