Tackling Research Tasks with Generative AI

Do not assume you are allowed to use generative AI tools for your assignments. At Sheridan, the use of these tools are not universally permitted in every course. However, they may be permitted for certain tasks at the professor's discretion, depending on the learning outcomes of the research activity. The AI Assessment Scale is a helpful indicator for which tasks may be permitted.

Be sure you understand the purpose, scope, tasks, and requirements of your assignment. Consider:

• What is the project format? (e.g. written essay)
• How many sources will I need?
• What types of sources can I use? (e.g., scholarly journals)
• Will I need visuals and graphics?

Consider:

1. What is the purpose of the assignment? What skills will I be evaluated on?
2. Would the use of generative AI tools enhance my learning or give me an unfair advantage over my classmates?
3. If working in a group, what expectations do my group members have regarding generative AI?

If generative AI is not explicitly permitted in the assignment instructions, clarify the expectations of your professor and discuss potential uses with your group members before you begin.

There are many generative AI products on the market, many of which may require subscription plans, provide poor data security and privacy policies, or harbour malicious intent. For assignments at Sheridan, we recommend using institutionally-approved tools, including:

• Copilot: An AI tool that helps users write text, answer questions, and find information online. Copilot is available using your Sheridan account through the Copilot app, as well as through Microsoft Edge and Microsoft 365.
• Adobe Firefly: An AI tool that helps users create high-quality images in a variety of styles, remove backgrounds or visual distractions, add visual details, and more. Firefly is available using your Sheridan account through the Adobe Firefly website, as well as through Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Express.
• Primo Research Assistant: An AI tool that helps summarize and locate library resources.

Other popular tools used by researchers include:

• Consensus - A tool that helps you find and analyze relevant scholarly articles.
• Elicit - A tool that helps you summarize papers, extract data, and synthesize your findings.
• Perplexity - a tool that searches the web for sources. Use images, pdfs, or other files to generate a search.
• NotebookLM - A tool to help you make connections between pdfs, spreadsheets, videos and other files.

Generative AI tools can be very helpful for exploring a topic, narrowing down ideas, gathering background information, and tracking down sources. However, the quality of the response is often dependent on the prompt you use. For the best results, include the following details when building a prompt:

• Role: What persona should the AI adopt? (e.g., college professor)
• Task: What do you want the AI to do? (e.g., create a list)
• Requirements: What should the response include? (e.g. six examples)
• Instructions: How should the AI complete the task? (e.g., in an enthusiastic tone, first, then)

Your prompt should be both descriptive and precise. Give yourself options by asking the tool to offer multiple alternative responses for you to choose from.

When you use generative AI, resist the urge to take information from generative AI tools at face value since they build sentences through probability, not "actual" intelligence. Take the time to critically evaluate and customize the information that's given to you before you incorporate it into your assignments. Ask yourself:

1. Does the output meet the assignment criteria?
2. Is the response accurate?
3. How can I improve the response and make it my own?

Add additional prompts to improve the output, modify word choice and tone, and always be sure to verify facts with other reputable sources. Remember, as a member of the scholarly community, you are ultimately responsible for the quality of the work you submit.

Whenever you submit academic work, be sure you are clear about how generative AI tools supported your work. While every professor will have different expectations, common ways to acknowledge generative AI usage include:

• Citations: Use when paraphrasing or quoting from a generative AI tool. Visit the library's Citing your Sources guide for examples.
• Declarations: Use when using a generative AI tool to brainstorm, develop ideas, build an outline, or similar task. Declarations are simple statements at the end of an assignment that identify how a tool was used to support the research project. For example: I used Copilot by Microsoft Corporation to help me develop an outline for this presentation.
• Appendices: Use when using a generative AI tool to brainstorm, develop ideas, build an outline, or similar task. The appendix often include both a declaration and a transcript of your prompts with the corresponding AI output.
• Badges: Use when using a generative AI for visual products, like posters, videos, etc. For example, try these logos by Martine Peters

To verify the expectations for acknowledging generative AI usage for your course, check the assignment instructions and speak with your professor.