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1.5: Academic Integrity

  • Page ID
    537640
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    Academic Integrity vs Cheating
    • Academic integrity means your work is an accurate representation of your own learning and understanding.
    • Cheating or academic dishonesty occurs when your work misrepresents what you know, undermining your own learning and the trust that makes meaningful feedback possible.

    Why Academic Integrity Matters in this Course

    In this course, your written work is both a learning tool and an assessment tool.

    • When you write, you articulate and refine your thinking.
    • When we read your writing, your instructors and TAs see your reasoning, your decisions, and your conclusions. This allows us to give you feedback you can actually use to grow as a scientist.

    You will also give and receive peer feedback. For that feedback to be meaningful — and for you to benefit from it — your work must reflect your own thinking.


    Duke Community Standard

    All students must adhere to the Duke Community Standard (DCS): Duke University is a community dedicated to scholarship, leadership, and service and to the principles of honesty, fairness, and accountability. Citizens of this community commit to reflect upon these principles in all academic and non-academic endeavors, and to protect and promote a culture of integrity.

    To uphold the Duke Community Standard, students agree:

    • will not lie, cheat, or steal in my academic endeavors;
    • I will conduct myself honorably in all my endeavors;
    • I will act if the Standard is compromised.

    Regardless of course delivery format, itis the responsibility of all students to understand and follow all Duke policies, including academic integrity(e.g., completing one's own work, following proper citation of sources, adhering to guidance around group work projects, and more).  Ignoring these requirements is a violation of the Duke Community Standard. Any questions and/or concerns regarding academic integrity can be directed to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards atconduct@duke.edu.


    Using AI to Support Your Learning

    AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, Claude) can be powerful learning partners if you use them intentionally and transparently. But, if they are misused, these tools can undermine your learning.

    Appropriate use of AI:

    AI tools can play a valuable role in your learning process when used intentionally to coach you, or to help improve your writing.
    You may use AI applications to:
    •    Improve organization and structure of your own writing using prompts like “Revise this paragraph to improve clarity and structure, but keep the original meaning.” 
    •    Edit for grammar and clarity using prompts like “Identify grammar errors and suggest fixed without changing the technical meaning of my writing.
    •    Refine your phrasing or writing style. “Make this explanation appropriate for an audience of scientists outside my specialty.
    •    Brainstorming ways to present an idea you’ve already developed.  “Suggest alternative ways to phrase this description of my method.

    After using AI in any of these ways, you must review, edit, and verify the output yourself. Be aware that AI tools can change the meaning of your words, and AI can hallucinate and give test that is not based in reality. You are responsible for ensuring that your final writing is clear, correct, and accurate —and that it represents your own learning, thoughts, and understanding.

    Inappropriate use of AI:

    Using AI to generate substantive scientific content — such as designing methods, interpreting data, or drafting analysis you have not developed or do not fully understand — is a misuse of these tools.

    Examples of inappropriate use of AI:
    •    Generating new sections or paragraphs you did not develop yourself. (e.g., “Write an introduction section for a scientific manuscript about …”)
    •    Asking AI to analyze your data or draw conclusions that you cannot explain (e.g., “Interpret my results and write the discussion section.”)
    •    Rewriting entire drafts you did not author yourself.
    •    Fabricating sources, citations, or data.

    Misusing AI in this way prevents your instructors and peers from providing meaningful feedback; it prevents you from learning and it wastes everyone's time.

    A Quick Test: The “Could I Explain This?” Rule

    Before submitting any work that involved AI, ask yourself:

    • Could I explain every choice, result, and statement in my own words?
    • Could I recreate the reasoning or analysis without AI’s help?

    If the answer is “no,” then the AI use is likely inappropriate for this course.

    When in Doubt, ask.

    If you are ever unsure about whether an AI tool is supporting your learning appropriately, please ask a member of the instructional team. We are here to help you learn how to use these tools thoughtfully, responsibly, and always in service of your authentic growth as a scientist and writer.
     


    Acknowledgements

    This statement on the responsible use of AI tools was created by Kathryn Haas for CHEM401L at Duke University, The statement was drafted with the support of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. It draws inspiration from “AI with Intention: Principles and Action Steps for Teachers and School Leaders” by Tony Frontier and includes insights generously shared by Eliana Schonberg (Thompson Writing Program at Duke University).
     


    1.5: Academic Integrity is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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