Tag: Research

AI and the Library. Week Seven: The Ethics of Using Generative AI (Part Two)

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Be transparent about your AI Usage

Before we get properly underway, let me just reiterate that you must always follow any university and departmental guidance on using AI tools in assessed work.

In our last post on the ethics of using generative AI, we started looking at the importance of understanding the responsibilities that come with using these tools. The key message in that post was the need to familiarise yourself with Aberystwyth University’s guidelines on AI usage.

This week, we’re covering another important topic: being transparent about your use of AI tools in assessed work.

As generative AI becomes more widely available, universities are emphasising the importance of academic integrity and clear disclosure when using these technologies.

Using AI can be a valuable aid in research, brainstorming, and drafting, but it’s essential to be upfront about how and where you’ve used it.

Being open about your use of AI tools is vital for maintaining academic integrity. Transparency shows your commitment to honesty and ethical study practices.

Key Takeaway: Why Transparency Matters:

  • It demonstrates your academic honesty.
  • It reflects your commitment to ethical study practices.
  • It highlights your critical thinking skills.
  • It reinforces your professional accountability.

How to Acknowledge AI Usage:

Academic departments and module coordinators will be best placed to advise you on how you should acknowledge AI outputs. These might include:

  • AI tool-use statements.
  • Advice on correct referencing and citation practices for AI outputs.

You can find additional help and support on using AI here: Artificial Intelligence  : Information Services , Aberystwyth University

AI and the Library. Week Six: The Ethics of Using Generative AI (Part One)

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When I first set out to write about the ethics of using generative AI, I thought it would be just a single blog post. But the deeper I dug, the more there was to explore. So, instead of just one post, this topic has turned into a spin-off series of its own (think House of the Dragon to Game of Thrones!)

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored how generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are transforming how users interact with library resources. But with these advancements come important ethical considerations.

The first, and arguably most important, step in using generative AI responsibly is understanding your university’s AI policies. Familiarising yourself with the guidelines ensures you stay academically honest and allows you to make informed decisions about AI use.

Here’s are some things to keep in mind:

University-wide Guidelines

  • Review the university’s official policies on using AI in academic work.
  • Check for specific rules about AI in assignments, exams, or research projects.

Departmental Advice

  • Look for any AI-related guidance provided by your academic department.
  • Pay attention to instructions or updates from your module tutors about AI use.

Module-specific Rules

  • Some modules may have unique rules about using AI tools.
  • Check your module handbook or ask your module coordinator if you’re unsure about what’s allowed.

Consequences of Misuse

  • Misusing AI or failing to acknowledge its role could be considered academic misconduct.
  • Be aware of the potential consequences, such as:
    • Failed assignments.
    • Disciplinary action.
    • Harm to your academic reputation.

By understanding these policies, you can use AI responsibly and meet the university’s expectations while maintaining academic integrity.

Protecting your research: avoiding publication scams 

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Journal hijacking and fraudulent journal sites are becoming an increasing problem for journal authors, publishers and readers. Publishing scams aim to exploit researchers, promising quick publication but charging excessive publication fees. These sites can often be a clone of an established journal, set up to extract fees from unsuspecting authors. 

Publishers are becoming more increasingly aware of the problem and have taken steps to combat this new trend. Scopus academic database had 67 hijacked journals on its database by 2023 (Challenges posed by hijacked journals in Scopus – Abalkina – 2024 – Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology – Wiley Online Library ) To help alleviate this problem, Scopus removed URLs to all journal homepages that it indexes, although the problem persists (Retraction Watch, 2023 Elsevier’s Scopus deletes journal links following revelations of hijacked indexed journals – Retraction Watch) 

Many authors and readers are unaware of this practice and the following resources might be useful to consider. 

Evaluating journals: 

 
Support from your library: 

 
Contact us: librarians@aber.ac.uk  

Jisc Historical Texts has ended

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Jisc no longer provides Jisc Historical Texts. To compensate for the loss of this service:

Early Modern Books covers material from the British Isles and Europe for the period 1450-1700. An integrated search across both Early English Books Online and Early European Books allows scholars to view materials from over 225 source libraries worldwide. EEBO’s content draws on authoritative short-title catalogues of the period and features many text transcriptions specially created for the product. Content from Europe covers the curated Early European Books Collections from 4 national libraries and London’s Wellcome Library.

Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) is a vast eighteenth-century library at your desktop—a fully text-searchable corpus of books, pamphlets and broadsides in all subjects printed between 1701 and 1800. It currently contains over 180,000 titles amounting to over 32 million fully-searchable pages.

Titles in the Jisc Journal Archive are available via other providers through Primo, the library catalogue.

Contact librarians@aber.ac.uk or your subject librarian if you have any questions.

Introducing: LibKey Nomad

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LibKey Nomad is a downloadable browser extension that automatically provides instant links to articles from journals if your library subscribes to them. LibKey Nomad’s one-click access to articles referenced on scholarly websites and search engines will make your research and finding sources faster and easier.

Download LibKey Nomad here

Using LibKey Nomad is simple. Visit the download page and add the extension to your browser of choice. After installation, you will be prompted to select your institution. Simply select Aberystwyth University and LibKey Nomad will then notify you of articles available through the library wherever you may roam online.

LibKey Nomad will also enhance your experience on popular sites like PubMed, Wikipedia, Scopus, Web of Science and more.

Comparison

Here’s an example of a reference list on Wikipedia before LibKey Nomad is installed and after (scroll across to compare):

References on Wikipedia before and after installing the LibKey Nomad browser plugin

You can see that LibKey Nomad adds a link to the article if the library has access to it. Clicking on the link takes you directly to the source.

Find out more about LibKey Nomad in the video below:

If you have any questions or feedback about LibKey Nomad, please email us on librarians@aber.ac.uk. As always, if you need help finding resources for your studies, please get in touch with your Subject Librarian.