Universities, publishers and grant agencies are currently examining the potential use of chatbots such as ChatGPT within the academic and educational environment. Below is information provided by ChatGPT as to how it could potentially be used in education.
" ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize healthcare education by providing instant access to vast amounts of medical knowledge and expertise. With its natural language processing capabilities, ChatGPT can answer students' questions, provide guidance on complex medical concepts, and help with differential diagnoses and treatment options across multiple healthcare disciplines. Medical, nursing, biomedical, and health students can use ChatGPT to supplement traditional classroom learning, enhance their understanding of medical concepts, and improve their critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. By using ChatGPT, students can learn at their own pace and convenience, deepening their understanding of medical concepts and preparing them for future careers in healthcare."
Students should look to their faculty and advisors for specific guidance regarding the appropriateness of the tool in their educational activities and refer to the Georgetown University Honor Code for guidance.
If the use of a chatbot such as ChatGPT is permitted in a course, given that the technology is still evolving, it's recommended to consider it as a supplementary tool rather than the sole tool for research. Any content generated should be critically evaluated for accuracy, and all citations it provides must be independently verified before use.
Additionally, it's important to note the distinction between a generative AI tool such as ChatGPT or Gemini and AI assisted platforms provided by the library such as DML Discover (AI enhanced) or Isabel. AI-assisted databases utilize vetted, scholarly data to train their AI systems, whereas open-source generative AI platforms leverage a broader range of both vetted and non-vetted data.
Before using a generative AI tool to process or summarize course materials, please consult with the faculty or the original authors. Do not upload or input copyrighted content, such as lecture slides, into an AI tool without obtaining prior approval, as doing so may violate copyright and academic policies.
"While ChatGPT can generate text on various topics, it is not a substitute for human expertise and critical thinking, which are essential in academic writing. ChatGPT's output can be used as a starting point for research or inspiration for new ideas, but it should be reviewed, edited, and supplemented with additional sources to ensure accuracy and credibility. Moreover, academic journal articles often require specific formatting, referencing, and language conventions that may not be within ChatGPT's capabilities. Therefore, while ChatGPT can be a helpful tool, it is unlikely to produce a complete and high-quality academic journal article on its own." (Quote Source: ChatGPT)
Since this is a very new tool, publishers and grant agencies are in the process of developing policies regarding the use of ChatGPT. However, some have already posted policies for authors or researchers (see below). Authors should check with prospective journals for their policies and researchers with the grant agency before utlizing the tool,. If use of a chatbot such as ChatGPT is approved for use, the information provided should be critically analyzed for accuracy and any citations provided should be verified.
Not all citation styles have developed protocols on how to cite chatbots such as ChatGPT. If used for coursework or a document for publication, err on the side of caution and cite the chatbot used.
Tools to detect AI assisted writing are in development now, below are some of these projects. Please note, these tools are in development and may provide a false response.