Ethics of Academic Integrity

In my previous posting, I wrote provided (with help from ChatGPT!) advice on how students can use ChatGPT (and related “generative A.I.” services) in their work ethically, and (hopefully) without running afoul of their school’s rules about academic integrity.

Below is small part of a chat I had with ChatGPT, about that very question. In particular, it’s about what actual tasks ChatGPT (etc.) can help a student with, more or less without worry. Once again, I’ll provide ChatGPT’s answers, and also add my own comments [in parentheses.]

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Me: “What things can you [ChatGPT] help me with as I go forward [in writing an essay]?” [The previous part of the chat had already made clear that I wanted only the kinds of help that were consistent with maintaining integrity.]

ChatGPT responded:

As you continue working on your essay, I can provide assistance in several ways:

1. Clarifying concepts: If you come across any concepts or ideas related to [the topic] that you find confusing or need further clarification on, feel free to ask. I can help explain complex concepts in a clear and concise manner. [This is mostly true, but students should be cautious: ChatGPT can be wrong, though in my experience it is seldom wrong on basics. However, ChatGPT may provide a different spin on a concept than your professor does, so beware.]
2. Brainstorming ideas: If you’re having trouble generating ideas for your essay or need assistance expanding on the key elements of [the topic] , I can help you brainstorm and provide suggestions to stimulate your thinking. [This is good advice. Brainstorming, getting the ball rolling on a topic, is one of the better uses of ChatGPT for students.]
3. Providing examples: If you need examples to support your points or illustrate the key elements of professional communication, I can provide relevant examples from various fields or industries to enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of your arguments. [Again, yes, probably. But there’s no guarantee that ChatGPT will be correct. The key, from an academic integrity point of view, is to put the example into your own words, rather than copying-and-pasting the example directly from ChatGPT.]
4. Reviewing your work: Once you have a draft of your essay, I can help review and provide feedback on your content, structure, and overall coherence. I can identify areas where you may need to provide more clarification or strengthen your arguments. [This is a terrific idea. Don’t ask ChatGPT to fix the problems, though. You’re best to ask it to spot the problems and then you should fix them yourself.]
5. Offering writing tips: I can provide general writing tips and suggestions to improve the clarity, organization, and effectiveness of your essay. This includes advice on sentence structure, paragraph development, and transitioning between ideas. [Again, good idea. Don’t have the A.I. re-write for you: have it provide feedback. This way, you’ll actually learn, and make fewer mistakes in future.]
6. Answering specific questions: If you have specific questions related to [the topic] or any aspect of your essay, feel free to ask. I can provide detailed responses and help you find the information you need. [Be very cautious. As noted above, an A.I. can be wrong about this sort of thing, or may provide an understanding of technical concepts that differs somewhat from what your professor has taught, which is worrisome.]

Please note that while I [ChatGPT] can offer guidance and support throughout the writing process, it’s important to use my assistance as a supplement to your own understanding and critical thinking. Remember to always review and revise your work independently to ensure its quality and originality.

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So there you have it. Basically, if you’re a student, you should treat ChatGPT (and similar services) like a smart room-mate or friend or older sibling. They can brainstorm with you, make suggestions, come up with a good example for something you’re trying to explain, and they can proof-read for you and suggest improvements. They cannot (ethically) write your paper for you. But still, the stuff they can ethically do for you could be a huge help.

This is a 2 part posting. Part 1 will discuss tips on how to use ChatGPT ethically, as a student. Part 2 (coming soon) will show you how ChatGPT can help you, ethically, while writing an essay.

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OK, so it’s no secret that students are, and will be, using ChatGPT (and other generative A.I. services). Professors everywhere are worried about that — though many of us also see promise in the possibility of having students use ChatGPT in constructive ways.

So, as a student how can you use ChatGPT ethically? And — a related but not identical question — is it possible to use ChatGPT without running afoul of your school’s rules?

These questions aren’t straightforward, because for example the answer to the second question depends in part on a couple of key variables — namely a) your school’s specific policies, and b) your professor’s attitude.

As a starting point, here’s a conversation I had recently with ChatGPT itself, about that very question. Note that the conversation below isn’t about how not to get caught using ChatGPT. It’s about how to use ChatGPT in a responsible way — that is, in a way that maintains the integrity of your learning experience.

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(I’ll provide ChatGPT’s answers, and also add my own comments [in parentheses.]

Prompt: “How can a university student use ChatGPT without engaging in plagiarism?”

ChatGPT replies:
Using ChatGPT as a university student without engaging in plagiarism requires understanding the ethical boundaries and using the tool responsibly. Here are some guidelines to follow:

1. Treat ChatGPT as a tool, not a source: ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for brainstorming ideas, getting suggestions, or clarifying concepts. However, it should never be used as a source of information to directly include in your academic work. Instead, rely on reputable sources and use ChatGPT to enhance your understanding or explore different perspectives.
2. Do your own research: Use ChatGPT as a starting point and then conduct thorough research on the topic independently. Consult reliable sources such as academic journals, textbooks, and reputable websites to gather information and develop your own understanding. [I think of ChatGPT a bit like Wikipedia: it’s a decent starting place to get an overview of a topic, but you shouldn’t rely on it.]
3. Use ChatGPT for guidance and clarification: If you’re struggling to understand a concept or need clarification on a topic, you can ask ChatGPT for explanations or examples. However, make sure to critically evaluate the responses and verify the information with reliable sources to ensure accuracy. [Be cautious here. ChatGPT can give you decent, plain-English explanations of lots of concepts, but if the explanation or definition is different in different ways from the one your professor is expecting in an essay or exam, you’re out of luck.]
4. Avoid copying and pasting answers: Plagiarism involves presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own. Avoid copying and pasting responses from ChatGPT into your assignments. Instead, paraphrase and rephrase the information in your own words, giving proper credit to the original sources. [This is THE best advice for students, generally: never copy and paste anything into your essay. Copy-paste can get you into trouble, even if you’re trying honestly to do your own work. Simply forgetting to put a suitable citation can still land you in trouble.]
5. Use proper citation and referencing: When you use external sources in your academic work, whether it’s from ChatGPT or other references, make sure to properly cite and reference them according to the required citation style (e.g., APA, MLA). This acknowledges the original authors and prevents plagiarism. [Note that ChatGPT is terrible at finding academic references. It will literally invent authors and books that don’t exist. However, it’s pretty good at citation styles — so you can feed it your citations and say “Put these into MLA style,” and it will.]
6. Seek feedback and review: Before submitting your work, have someone, such as a professor, TA, or classmate, review your assignment. This can help identify any unintentional similarities or instances where ChatGPT may have influenced your writing too much. [This is ChatGPT’s weakest advice. Having someone look for unintentional similarities seems to assume that you’ve already used some copy-paste, which (as per #4 above) you should avoid entirely.]

Remember, the responsibility for academic integrity lies with you as a student. Using ChatGPT responsibly means using it as a supplementary tool for learning and understanding, while still upholding the principles of academic honesty.

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Overall, the above (from ChatGPT) is really good advice. Got other tips? Please feel free to comment.

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Update: Make sure to check out Part 2 on this topic, here:
Students: Using ChatGPT Without Plagiarism, Part 2

As you might have guessed from the title, this is a blog about ethical issues in academic integrity. That is, it’s about the issues that arise with regard, and the issues that arise when educational institutions (high schools, colleges, universities, etc.) attempt to regulate student behaviour in that regard.

“Integrity” is of course an “ethics word” (some people might even regard it as a synonym for “ethics”), which might make the title of this blog a bit of a redundancy. But I think it’s really not. Here’s why. The term “academic integrity” itself typically refers to one or both of the following:

a) An attitude or pattern of behaviour according to which an individual conducts themselves in an academic setting (namely, with integrity, and avoiding various forms of wrong-doing); or

b) The rules and systems that various educational institutions put in place to educate students about what sorts of behaviours are considered (un)acceptable in their academic work, and to monitor, regulate, and occasionally reprimand.

In effect, academic integrity in the second sense is about ensuring or at least promoting academic integrity in the first sense.

So why “ethics of academic integrity?” Ethics — as I define it, from a scholarly point of view — is the critical, structured examination of questions of right and wrong. So the ethics of academic integrity is a critical, structured examination of the rights-and-wrongs of various ways in which students conduct themselves, as well as the rights-and-wrongs of various ways in which educational institutions educate and regulate students in that regard.

So this blog will talk about academic integrity in what I hope is not a preachy way, but in a way that explores, in a more-or-less readable and non-technical way, some of the thornier issues that arise in this area.

The blog is going to be written primarily by me, Prof Chris MacDonald. I’m a philosopher currently teaching (ethics & critical thinking) at a very large, primarily-undergraduate business school. I teach and write about ethics — primarily ethics in the corporate world. But as an educator, I also care deeply about academic integrity.

Some of the entries in this blog will likely be “co-authored” by one or another Artificial Intelligence services, such as ChatGPT. Some readers might find that funny, but they shouldn’t. The problems with academic use of AI are very specific, and — as I’ll outline soon in one or more blog entries — the concerns regarding AI shouldn’t be regarded as applying the kind kind of open, honest use of AI that I’m going to exhibit here. When I use ChatGPT to assist in writing a blog entry, I’ll make that clear. I hope that such use will serve two purposes. First, it may help me with writers’ block. Second, it may serve as a focal point for discussion about the ethics of using such technology.

It’s also possible that this blog will feature guest postings by other professors, or administrators with an interest in, and insight into, academic integrity.

If you have questions about the blog, or if you have topics that you’d like to see covered here, feel free to email me at chris.macdonald@torontomu.ca.