Teaching & Learning
- AI use in assignments is permitted only if it is used ethically and fairly
- The university states that using AI to generate an assignment, or parts of it, without acknowledgement is academic misconduct, and students are told to check acceptable use with their tutors for specific courses and assessments
Can I use AI for my assignments?
Use of AI is not prohibited, but it is important that you use it ethically and fairly and are aware of its advantages and limitations. Misuse of AI is taken seriously and is classified as academic misconduct.
Using AI to generate your assignment or parts of it without any acknowledgement of sources or personal input
You should always discuss acceptable usage of GenAI for your specific course and assessments with your tutors.
- Use of AI in examinations or other formal assessments is prohibited where it breaches examination rules
- The university explicitly identifies use of smart devices such as AI glasses in examinations, tests or presentations as unethical, and treats cheating in formal examinations as a grave offence
Use of smart devices, such as AI glasses, in examinations, tests or presentations
Cheating in examinations (or other formal assessment)
This is an infringement of the rules governing conducting examinations or other formal, time-constrained assessment.
Suspected misconduct in a formal examination is considered a Grave offence
- Students are also advised to discuss acceptable use for their course and assessments with tutors
- The university permits AI for study support uses such as idea generation, understanding concepts, locating sources, planning, grammar feedback, and revision
Exploring initial ideas / keywords for a topic
Helping to gain an understanding of complex ideas / concepts
Helping to locate sources
Drafting ideas and planning or structuring
Gaining feedback on your work before submission (e.g. grammar checking tools) to refine your style
As a revision aid
You should always discuss acceptable usage of GenAI for your specific course and assessments with your tutors.
Research
- For research work, use of generative AI must always be acknowledged, and appropriate citation guidance must be followed
- Researchers are instructed to cite AI-generated content they paraphrase, quote, or use, and to record the prompt, tool name, developer, generation date, and URL where available; those planning to publish must also check journal policies
## Responsible use of GenAI: acknowledge and reference
The use of generative AI tools must always be acknowledged, whatever part the tool played in your work. The appropriate citation guidelines should be followed.
* Cite AI-generated content when you paraphrase, quote, or use any AI-produced text, image or data.
* Always mention the prompt, AI tool name, developer (e.g. OpenAI), generation date and URL (if available).
If you plan to publish, check the journal’s policies regarding the use of generative AI tools.
- It warns researchers to fact check outputs, verify citations, assess bias, and not rely on AI-generated source lists because they may be fabricated
- The university states that AI may be used in research tasks including literature reviews, interview transcription, and data analysis, but requires human verification and critical evaluation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can change the way you approach your research; from speeding up your literature reviews to helping transcribe interviews and analyse data.
While AI tools can assist users with a varying and ever-increasing array of tasks, they can also produce misinformation and make blatantly wrong statements. AI tools can be used to create fake information, which in turn other AI tools cannot distinguish. And so, when using GenAI for research purposes you need to FACT CHECK.
* Fact check: Always verify the information generated by AI, including checking the accuracy of citations it may use.
* Critical evaluation: Assess AI output for potential biases that may affect the information’s integrity.
* Avoid false citations: Do not trust AI tools to generate a list of sources on a particular topic as they may fabricate citations.
- It also treats breaches of research and ethical policies, including failure to gain ethical approval and careless or irresponsible research practice, as academic misconduct
- The university requires AI use in research to comply with research integrity principles and to be considered in light of ethics, privacy, intellectual property, and copyright
Responsible research fosters trust and confidence in the research process. There are principles that form the foundation of good research practice and these must be upheld regardless of the tools or technologies employed.
It is essential to reflect critically on the ethical implications of using AI in research (at any level) early in the planning stages
A critical issue in using GenAI tools is privacy and intellectual property.
Thus, it is essential to consider personal data, intellectual property and copyright.
Breaches of research and ethical policies
These include the following:
• Evasion of ethical responsibilities.
• Failure to gain ethical approval.
• Careless and irresponsible research practice.
• Conducting research without appropriate permissions
• Any other ethical issues which contravene the University’s Research Ethics Policy.
Academic Integrity
- Disclosure and attribution of AI use are required
- In student assessed work, unattributed AI-generated work is treated as plagiarism, while the research guidance says generative AI use must always be acknowledged and cited with specific details about the prompt and tool
Presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own. This includes representing the work of another student or institution as your own, or presenting work generated by, but unattributed to Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Verbatim copying or insertion of another’s work without appropriate acknowledgement. This includes published or unpublished work and material freely available in electronic form or generated by AI.
• Unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another’s work or unreferenced work generated by AI.
The use of generative AI tools must always be acknowledged, whatever part the tool played in your work. The appropriate citation guidelines should be followed.
* Cite AI-generated content when you paraphrase, quote, or use any AI-produced text, image or data.
* Always mention the prompt, AI tool name, developer (e.g. OpenAI), generation date and URL (if available).
- Undisclosed or unauthorised AI use can be investigated and penalized under the academic misconduct procedure
- Students must confirm submitted work is their own, may be called to explain how they produced an assessment, and offences can lead to required workshops, sanctions, failure, or withdrawal from the university; the documents mention Turnitin only in relation to the definition of academic integrity, not as an AI detector
When you submit your assessments, you are asked to confirm that the work is your own and by doing so agree that you have maintained academic integrity.
If misconduct is suspected, the original marker of your work will advise the module/ programme leader (or equivalent). If both parties suspect academic misconduct, you will be invited to an informal meeting with your tutor or lecturer.
This initial meeting is your opportunity to explain how you produced your assessment, to demonstrate that your work is your own or to explain why it is not.
• Poor academic practice has been found. You will be required to attend and undertake the appropriate UniSkills workshop(s) to enable you to learn and prevent recurrence.
Offences of this nature could result in your withdrawal from the University.
This is the definition advocated by the International Centre of Academic Integrity (ICA) and is the definition used by Turnitin.
Institutional & Administrative
- For research AI use, the university requires users to consider privacy, personal data, intellectual property, copyright, and tool licence terms before use
- Its IT policy also restricts software installation without prior consent, prohibits copying or distributing licensed software, and forbids permanent storage or auto-forwarding of university business correspondence to non-university-managed systems
A critical issue in using GenAI tools is privacy and intellectual property.
Thus, it is essential to consider personal data, intellectual property and copyright.
Before you start using a tool you have identified as appropriate for your research, it is crucial to review the terms and conditions (licence) which is the legal agreement between you and the supplier.
The University does not permit the auto-forwarding to, or permanent storage of, any University business correspondence, email or attachment to non- University managed email systems or services (including but not limited to personal email accounts, online file stores, etc.).
12.1 The use of software products is limited to the purposes defined in the software license agreement - typically for teaching, research, personal educational development, administration and management of University business. All registered users are responsible for abiding by the relevant terms and conditions
12.2 The downloading, storing or transmitting of copyrighted material, including electronic texts, music and video files, is not permitted.
12.3 Registered users are not permitted to install any software or executable files on the University IT infrastructure without the prior formal consent of a HoD and IT Services representative.
- The university has an institutional AI Working Group and a university position statement for students on ethical AI use
- In research governance, it also states that research ethics is overseen university-wide by a central University Research Ethics Sub-Committee
The University has produced a position statement called Student Guide to Ethical use of Generative Artificial Intelligence, which you can access on your Institution Page when logged into Learning Edge (Blackboard).
This document has been created on behalf of the institutional AI Working Group.
These SRECs all report to a central University Research Ethics Sub-Committee which oversees research ethics and research ethics policy for the whole University.
DocuMark: Responsible AI Use for Academic Integrity
Knowing your institution's AI policy is step one. DocuMark helps enforce it fairly by empowering universities to manage AI-generated content, prevent cheating, and support student writing through responsible AI use.
Common Questions About Edge Hill University's AI Policies
Edge Hill University has defined AI policies in 10 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 83%.
Disclosure and attribution of AI use are required. In student assessed work, unattributed AI-generated work is treated as plagiarism, while the research guidance says generative AI use must always be acknowledged and cited with specific details about the prompt and tool.
Undisclosed or unauthorised AI use can be investigated and penalized under the academic misconduct procedure. Students must confirm submitted work is their own, may be called to explain how they produced an assessment, and offences can lead to required workshops, sanctions, failure, or withdrawal from the university; the documents mention Turnitin only in relation to the definition of academic integrity, not as an AI detector.
For research AI use, the university requires users to consider privacy, personal data, intellectual property, copyright, and tool licence terms before use. Its IT policy also restricts software installation without prior consent, prohibits copying or distributing licensed software, and forbids permanent storage or auto-forwarding of university business correspondence to non-university-managed systems.