Plagiarism and generative AI
Academic malpractice is any activity – intentional or otherwise – that includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results, and is considered a serious offence. Plagiarism is presenting the ideas, work or words of other people or documents without proper, clear and unambiguous acknowledgement. It can also include a close paraphrase of written words. One way to prevent plagiarism is not to construct a piece of work by cutting and pasting or copying material written by someone else into something you are submitting as your own work. In recent years, the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (AI) have rapidly evolved, with tools such as ChatGPT becoming widely available. Not using generative AI responsibly can be considered a form of plagiarism. As such, we ask that its use is openly and honestly declared. The University of Manchester Artificial Intelligence (AI) Teaching guidance states that “presenting work created by Generative AI without suitable acknowledgement is plagiarism, and must be treated using the same principles and processes as plagiarism of a person”. However, CPPE and The University of Manchester also recognise that, for some learners, tools such as generative AI can be beneficial in co-creating an essay from a series of their own concepts and ideas, where the individual may struggle with the task of long-form writing. When used appropriately, generative AI tools have the potential to enhance teaching and learning, and can support inclusivity and accessibility. This is considered to be a responsible use of generative AI.
We use reflective essays for a range of our learning programmes to encourage you to engage in reflective practice. The benefits of reflective practice are based on your personal learning and experience. Reflective practice can lead you to make positive changes for the benefit of people who use your services. Using a generative AI tool may help you in shaping and constructing your essay, but the personal elements that you need for your essay to pass cannot be generated by AI. If you use a generative AI tool, then you need to find a way to blend your personal experiences with the suggestions that the tool makes. If you use a generative AI tool to support you, you will need to complete a declaration as part of the essay submission process.
On submission, you may be asked to make a series of declarations. These will ask you to confirm you have followed good practice in constructing your essay and the work you are submitting is your own, original work. Additionally, you will need to declare whether you have chosen to use a generative AI tool to support you with this process.