Graduate Studies

• Guidelines for Graduate Students
• Discussing AI with Graduate Students
• Want to Learn More?

Guidelines for Graduate Students

AI can be an effective and valuable tool as you conduct your graduate research. At the same time, it is crucial that your research represent your own rigorous, original, and distinct contribution to your field. Here are some things to keep in mind when you consider incorporating AI into your graduate work:

• Talk to your supervisor and/or supervisory committee before using generative AI in either your thesis or dissertation research, writing, creation, or editing. Different disciplines and fields have different norms and practices around the use of AI in research and writing – and these are evolving quickly. If you and your supervisor are unsure about the proposed use of AI, consult with your graduate program director.
• Pay careful attention to how and when generative AI was used in your research and creative processes. Be sure to document and cite the use of AI appropriately, as you would any other resource, analytical approach, or methodological tool.  Different citation tools now include guidance for how to cite AI.
• Keeping in mind the value of transparency, be prepared to declare and acknowledge each use of AI in your thesis defense or in other discussions of your work, so that you can explain to your audience which aspects of the work are your own thinking and which emerged through the use of AI.
• Be aware of the risks associated with AI: these could include, but are not limited to, inaccuracies in results, issues of data sovereignty, implicit bias, data protection, privacy concerns, and data contamination.  In particular, as you prepare your Ethics forms, in advance of your research, reflect on the risks of AI and how these may impact or affect your subject(s).   
• If you are preparing your research for publication, check your intended venue’s AI policy; most major academic publishers now have AI policies.     
  

Open Dialogue

Speak to your students about the potential use of AI in their graduate research, whether you believe they may incorporate it into their work, or whether you ultimately recommend its use. These conversations can range from the big picture (“what is your philosophy of AI – how should it be employed in research, if at all?”) to specific discussions of possible processes and activities that might benefit from the use of AI or not, and why. The Ontario Council of Graduate Studies guidance linked at the bottom of this page has conversational prompts to facilitate these conversations.

AI’s Risks

When discussing AI with your supervisee, be sure to include some discussion of its risks (including data sovereignty, privacy, data contamination, implicit bias etc.) as well as the ethical considerations that might shape your shared approach (these could range from intellectual property to environmental impact).

Disciplinary Norms

Disciplinary norms around the appropriate use of AI vary widely. If you are not familiar with your own discipline’s practices, consult your graduate program or scholarly body about its use in your field.

Document

Encourage your supervisee to regularly document and account for each use of generative AI in their research, writing, and revisions. They will need to make clear to their audience (both in writing and speaking) where, how, and to what effect they employed AI, as needed – just as they would with any other resource of method – and a track record of documented use will assist them in doing so.