Teaching & Learning
- For student assignments, AI-generated material must not be submitted as a student's own original work
- The university also says students will generally be expected to include information about how they used AI in assignment submissions
- The university permits AI for limited support activities, but students are generally expected to write their own assignments and to follow any more specific instructions from lecturers or departments
Writing your own assignments is the only way in which you will develop the skill of communicating effectively in written form.
Providing you do not attempt to pass off AI generated material off as your own work, you will not be cheating and will not have committed any academic offences.
“…false authorship or contract cheating, including the soliciting of a third party or the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning or other automated technology, to produce material that is then submitted for assessment and presented as one’s own original work.”
Never present AI generated work as your own in an assignment. That would be cheating. Your lecturers and teachers will give you more specific instructions but in general you will be expected to include information about how you have used AI as part of your assignment submissions.
Some departments have different conventions, so if you're studying modules across different disciplines, you should seek advice from each relevant department.
- No separate exam-specific AI rule was identified in the exam operations page
- The university treats using AI to produce material submitted for assessment as an academic offence when it is presented as the student's own original work
- For exams more broadly, students are expected to follow examination regulations, and academic offences include communicating with another candidate in an examination
False authorship or Contract cheating: Hiring someone else or using artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other automated technology to create written material that you then submit as your own original work.
It is your responsibility to make yourself aware of the regulations governing examinations and how to correctly prepare your coursework. An academic offence can take place even if you didn’t mean to commit one, and examples include plagiarism, falsifying data or evidence, and communicating with another candidate in an examination.
- Students are also told to verify AI-generated information rather than assume it is accurate
- The university encourages students to use AI responsibly to support learning and to understand its strengths and limitations
- It explicitly permits study-support uses such as planning, grammar support, and concept explanation, provided the AI output is used to aid understanding and is not copied into assessed work
At Essex, we want you to explore generative AI tools responsibly.
There are many legitimate ways in which you can use AI to help you study and learn. We encourage you to use AI tools to develop an understanding of its strengths and limitations, and the skills to use AI ethically and effectively.
Here are a few examples of how AI could be used to help with your learning:
* creating an essay plan to help you develop and improve the structure of your assignment
* using AI to help you improve your grammar or your writing style by looking at how it constructs answers to questions
* asking AI to explain a concept, theory, or text that you have had trouble understanding. Providing the explanation is used to help you understand and is not copied into your assignment, you will not be committing any academic offence. however…
* never assume the information generated by AI is accurate or true. Check it.
Research
- The thesis must ultimately be the student's own work, and AI use should be referenced appropriately through citation and/or acknowledgement
- For postgraduate research, generative AI may be used as a tool in research and writing, but its use must be disclosed in academic writing associated with the research, including theses
While these tools offer powerful opportunities to support the research process—from literature review and data analysis to drafting and visualisation—it is essential that Postgraduate Researchers use them responsibly, ethically, and in line with disciplinary norms.
The use of generative AI (Gen AI) must be disclosed in any academic writing associated with your research, such as your thesis, where it has been used as a tool in your research and writing process (including drafting ideas and planning or structuring written materials). Ultimately, the work you submit within your thesis must be your own.
Where generative AI has been used as a tool during your research and/or writing process, this should be referenced appropriately through in-text citation and/or acknowledgement within your referencing.
- For student assessed work, the university explicitly prohibits asking AI to generate experimental data that is then submitted as if the student collected it, treating that as fabrication and serious misconduct
- For postgraduate researchers, the university states that AI tools can support parts of the research process, including data analysis, but they must be used responsibly, ethically, and in line with disciplinary norms
While these tools offer powerful opportunities to support the research process—from literature review and data analysis to drafting and visualisation—it is essential that Postgraduate Researchers use them responsibly, ethically, and in line with disciplinary norms.
Never ask AI to generate experimental data which you then submit having purported to have collected it yourself as primary data, either in raw form or after analysis. This is fabrication and counts as serious misconduct.
This involves undertaking your research using verifiable methods, with good data management protocols, and presenting your research in a clear, careful and transparent way.
- No explicit statement was identified about AI use in grant proposals, IRB applications, or ethics declarations specifically
- The university requires postgraduate researchers to use generative AI responsibly, ethically, and in ways that preserve research integrity, originality, and quality
- Researchers are expected to use verifiable methods, good data management, transparency, appropriate referencing, acknowledgement of assistance, and compliance with relevant university procedures
This guidance outlines the University’s position on the use of Generative AI in postgraduate research, providing practical advice to ensure its use enhances, rather than compromises, the integrity, originality, and quality of your work.
At Essex, we create and encourage an environment in which responsible and ethical research, following best practice within the sector, is considered of primary importance. As a ‘researcher in training’, you (along with your supervisor) are responsible and accountable for undertaking and presenting your research with a commitment to academic and research integrity.
You are expected to be a responsible researcher, who contributes to the culture of integrity amongst our research community. This involves undertaking your research using verifiable methods, with good data management protocols, and presenting your research in a clear, careful and transparent way. These principles apply to all types of research design, methodology and research output.
The University expects all students:
* to carry out their research with rigour, respect, and integrity
* to behave with honesty and integrity in relation to coursework, examinations, and other assessed work
* to be familiar and act in accordance with the conventions of academic writing including appropriate referencing of sources and acknowledgement of assistance
* to show understanding of ethical considerations and be compliant with the relevant University procedures
Academic Integrity
- The university requires transparency about AI use in submitted work
- The university also instructs students to cite and reference material in assignments that is not their own work
- For assignments, students are generally expected to include information about how they used AI, and for postgraduate research writing such as theses, AI use must be disclosed and appropriately referenced through in-text citation and/or acknowledgement
Always cite and reference material included in your assignments that is not your own work.
Your lecturers and teachers will give you more specific instructions but in general you will be expected to include information about how you have used AI as part of your assignment submissions.
Be transparent about which tools you use and how you have used them to create your academic work.
The use of generative AI (Gen AI) must be disclosed in any academic writing associated with your research, such as your thesis, where it has been used as a tool in your research and writing process (including drafting ideas and planning or structuring written materials).
Where generative AI has been used as a tool during your research and/or writing process, this should be referenced appropriately through in-text citation and/or acknowledgement within your referencing.
- The university uses Turnitin across the institution to detect suspected academic offences
- In suspected cases involving AI misuse, students may be questioned about the content of their assignment and their submission may be compared with previous work to establish authorship
- Non-compliance can lead to an academic offence charge, and the academic offences procedure treats submitting AI-produced material as one's own original work as false authorship or contract cheating
Plagiarism detection software, Turnitin, is in use across the University to detect suspected academic offences. If you don’t meet these expectations, then you may be charged with having committed an academic offence, a matter the University takes very seriously.
For allegations relating to false authorship, misuse of machine learning, artificial intelligence or other automated technology, contract cheating or plagiarism, the student may be questioned about the content of the assignment and their submission may be compared with work that they have previously submitted in order to establish the student as the author.
2.14 Where a student is questioned about the content of their submission, a member of staff with relevant knowledge of the subject area and/or assignment, such as the module lead, may attend a meeting to support the Adjudicator or Committee in questioning the student on the assessment topic and they may comment on the quality of the student’s responses. They should not propose or comment on any penalty that might be imposed.
False authorship or Contract cheating: Hiring someone else or using artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other automated technology to create written material that you then submit as your own original work.
Institutional & Administrative
- The staff AI guidance applies to business operations, not to staff or student use of AI for learning and teaching
- Staff use of generative AI at work must comply with the university's information security and acceptable use policies, as well as applicable laws and regulations
- No explicit policy was identified in the provided sources about instructors using AI for grading, feedback, lesson planning, recommendation letters, or teaching preparation
This guidance relates to the use of AI within business operations.
Staff or student use of AI for the purposes of learning and teaching is not covered by this guidance. Information to support these activities can be found here.
The responsible use of Generative AI tools by staff at the University of Essex will comply with all laws and regulations applicable to the use of Generative AI including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
- For staff business use, the university requires AI use to comply with its Information Security Policy, IT Acceptable Use Policy, GDPR, and the Data Protection Act 2018
- It identifies approved university-licensed tools as Zoom AI Companion and MS Copilot, says staff must be logged in with their work account, requires approval before using other generative AI tools, and instructs staff not to continue with Copilot unless Enterprise Data Protection is enabled
We are equally aware that the use of AI for this purpose is fast-developing and that we must identify and manage emerging risks as an institution and act in compliance with our Information Security Policy and IT Acceptable Use Policy.
The responsible use of Generative AI tools by staff at the University of Essex will comply with all laws and regulations applicable to the use of Generative AI including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The approved Generative AI tools where we have an established contractual agreement and are licenced to the University is Zoom AI Companion and MS Copilot . Staff using these tools should be logged in from their work account. These are Generative AI tools with whom we have an established contractual agreement and are licenced to the University.
Staff wishing to use a Generative AI tool not listed on this page must request that this is considered by the Deputy CTO via the DITS Helpdesk in the first instance.
When using Copilot Chat (the free version of Copilot) you must sign in with your work account when analysing data to enable these necessary protections.
This indicates that Enterprise Data Protection is enabled – do not proceed if you do not see this logo as it means that EDP is not switched on.
Make sure you see the green shield with tick icon at the top of the page. It means Enterprise Data Protection (EDP) is on. If you don’t see it, don’t continue.
- No broader university-wide AI strategy or roadmap was explicitly set out in the provided sources
- The university states an institutional position of wanting students to explore generative AI responsibly and to develop the skills to use AI effectively and ethically
- For staff operations, it emphasizes managing emerging risks institutionally and has an AI Advisory Group that reviews agreed generative AI tools, staff guidance, engagement, effectiveness, and adherence to principles on an annual basis
At Essex, we want you to explore generative AI tools responsibly.
We hope that by the time you graduate, you will have developed the knowledge and skills to be able to use AI effectively and ethically to support your learning and help you succeed in the future.
We are equally aware that the use of AI for this purpose is fast-developing and that we must identify and manage emerging risks as an institution and act in compliance with our Information Security Policy and IT Acceptable Use Policy.
12.On an annual basis, the AI Advisory Group will:
* Review the institutional use of agreed Generative AI tools to assess engagement, effectiveness and adherence to the principles.
* Review the guidance provided to staff regarding the use of Generative AI.
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 University of Essex's AI Policies
University of Essex has defined AI policies in 11 of 12 categories, with an overall coverage score of 92%.
The university requires transparency about AI use in submitted work. For assignments, students are generally expected to include information about how they used AI, and for postgraduate research writing such as theses, AI use must be disclosed and appropriately referenced through in-text citation and/or acknowledgement. The university also instructs students to cite and reference material in assignments that is not their own work.
The university uses Turnitin across the institution to detect suspected academic offences. In suspected cases involving AI misuse, students may be questioned about the content of their assignment and their submission may be compared with previous work to establish authorship. Non-compliance can lead to an academic offence charge, and the academic offences procedure treats submitting AI-produced material as one's own original work as false authorship or contract cheating.
For staff business use, the university requires AI use to comply with its Information Security Policy, IT Acceptable Use Policy, GDPR, and the Data Protection Act 2018. It identifies approved university-licensed tools as Zoom AI Companion and MS Copilot, says staff must be logged in with their work account, requires approval before using other generative AI tools, and instructs staff not to continue with Copilot unless Enterprise Data Protection is enabled.