Gen AI and your research and thesis

How to use AI tools critically while developing your research capabilities.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) has become ubiquitous and is now seamlessly integrated into digital interfaces, such as software, web search engines, academic databases and social media platforms. It has broad application across a range of research tasks, such as writing, generation of software code, and can be used to perform complex analysis.

Ensure your research and thesis is authentically yours. Being an independent researcher means thinking for yourself and developing your own research capabilities.

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Good practice

Guidelines

If you are using these tools in your research and thesis preparation, it is important to do so critically and ethically and in accordance with RMIT's established principles for the responsible conduct of research and Australia’s AI Ethics Principles.

As a graduate researcher, there are additional matters that are also important to consider:

Degree requirements: does your use of these tools meet degree requirements, for example, that the work submitted for examination is your own?
Your development as a researcher: does your use of Gen AI facilitate and enhance rather than limit or circumvent the development of necessary researcher capabilities, as set out in the Australian Qualifications Framework degree criteria? For example:
- Ability to engage in critical reflection, synthesis and evaluation
- High-level communication skills
- Scholarly independence.

If you are using Gen AI in your research and thesis preparation, it is important to ensure good practice and compliance with RMIT’s research integrity and HDR Policy requirements (see Table 3).

Note, when considering appropriate use of AI tools, please consult your supervisory team as disciplinary differences may apply.

Principles

Your thesis must be your own work. Any use of Gen AI tools should be declared and explained to adhere to research integrity requirements and the HDR Submission and Examination Procedure.

Maintaining researcher responsibility

When using Gen AI to perform research tasks, such as software coding or data analysis, you should always be in charge and remain fully accountable for all outputs. You must:

Make key decisions independently
Apply critical judgement to all results
Verify accuracy and validity before use

Using Gen AI to support your writing

When incorporating Gen AI into writing, such as in theses or publications, prioritise developing your own voice and demonstrating independent thinking. Any Gen AI assistance should be supplementary only, such as:

Planning and brainstorming assistance
Minor editorial work, such as light editing of spelling, grammar and sentence flow
Assistance with coherence and clarity, such as, refining paragraph structure.

Table 1: Gen AI risk examples

Activities that may risk researcher independence, breach the HDR Policy and undermine the development of core research capabilities.

Poor practice	Risks	Alternative practice	Further information
Using Gen AI to draft full sentences, sections and paragraphs, or generate written content, such as AI-assisted summaries of the literature, or arguments of key ideas and debates.	Breaches the requirement for your thesis to be your own work. Undermines the development of writing skills. May introduce errors and inaccuracies due to AI hallucinations. May breach IP	Develop your own voice as a writer, using Gen AI tools to supplement your work, as per good practice guideline above. Writing is thinking, which means your ideas will develop through iteration.	HDR Policy stating that the thesis is defined as an independent written work. HDR Submission and Examination Procedure Guidance for researchers and PhD candidates on how to develop their research writing skills An overview of AI use for academic staff and researchers.
Using ChatGPT (or a similar generative AI program) for literature searches.	Undermines the trustworthiness of research findings. May introduce errors and inaccuracies due to AI hallucinations.	Use Gen AI tools integrated with established academic search databases. When reviewing outputs, be sure to adopt good practice, as defined above.	HDR Policy stating that the thesis is defined as an independent written work. Guidance on literature searching for relevant resources, accurate referencing and copyright advice.
Writing your thesis in another language and translating it into English.	Breaches the requirement for your thesis to be your own work. Breaches the requirement for you to write your thesis in English.	Develop your English proficiency by writing in English from commencement of candidature.	HDR Submission and Examination Procedure. Guidance for researchers and PhD candidates on how to develop their research writing skills.

Table 2: Gen AI activity risk assessment

Activity	Risk level
Generate concise summaries, themes, or annotated bibliographies of literature	High
Generate drafts, such as paragraphs, sections and chapters	High
Convert your notes into finished prose	High
Automatically code and categorise data	High
Create research questions	High
Suggest critical responses to your work	Medium
Brainstorm possible research questions and gaps	Medium
Re-write and paraphrase complex ideas	Medium
Generate figures and visualisations	Medium
Proofreading	Low
Clarity, readability and paragraph coherence	Low
Grammar correction	Low
Formatting references	Low
Simulating peer review	Low

Table 3. HDR Policy Requirement summary

Relevant Policy	Quotation
HDR Policy HDR Submission and Examination Procedure	‘Thesis: Independent written work submitted for examination.’
HDR Submission and Examination Procedure	Submission declaration: ‘I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, this research is that of the author alone; …any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; and ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed.
Submission declaration	'Any use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your thesis, must be ethical, responsible and in keeping with principles of academic and research integrity including honesty, transparency, fairness and accountability. Candidates will appropriately declare, attribute and acknowledge use of AI, in keeping with research integrity principles, policy and procedures for responsible authorship and publication of research outputs.’

Relevant Policy

Quotation

HDR Policy

HDR Submission and Examination Procedure

‘Thesis: Independent written work submitted for examination.’

HDR Submission and Examination Procedure

Submission declaration:

‘I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, this research is that of the author alone; …any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; and ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed.

Submission declaration

'Any use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your thesis, must be ethical, responsible and in keeping with principles of academic and research integrity including honesty, transparency, fairness and accountability. Candidates will appropriately declare, attribute and acknowledge use of AI, in keeping with research integrity principles, policy and procedures for responsible authorship and publication of research outputs.’

AI and Research Integrity

We've published a guide that provides an overview of artificial intelligence (AI) for academic staff and researchers.

Go to the AI for researchers guide

Training resources

Advice, training and support

Library Research Services team will provide you with advice, training and support for all your research and publishing activities.

AI and research reports

Advice on how you can use AI to assist in writing a paper or thesis, including how planning, drafting and editing text, creating figures or images, and submission.

Generative AI module

Practical examples of how students across varying disciplines can use generative AI tools. It also includes information on RMIT policies, guidelines and resources.

AI-generated writing help

A Val persona created to offer detailed feedback on grammar, structure, word choice and general sentence flow of your writing.

Acknowledgement of Country

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Learn more about our commitment to Indigenous cultures

Gen AI and your research and thesis