Cornell

AI and Academic Integrity — Student Guidance

• 官方来源Official source https://elso.as.cornell.edu/ai-and-academic-integrity
• 域名Domain elso.as.cornell.edu

Cornell’s Code of Academic Integrity states that “a student shall in no way misrepresent his or her work.” Sample violations include “knowingly representing the work of others as one’s own” and “using, obtaining, or providing unauthorized assistance on examinations, papers, or any other academic work.”

Use of AI during the writing process has created a fuzzy area for academic integrity, an area that many in the academic community are struggling to clarify. At Cornell, many faculty and offices are striving to figure out how to best protect academic integrity while also protecting students. The Center for Teaching Innovation has created guidance to help faculty clearly communicate their expectations around the use of generative AI and what would constitute a violation in their classes.^{课程规则优先Instructor override}

The English Language Support office has created guidance for students so that they can take students before and during the writing process to protect themselves from charges of inappropriate use of generative AI, steps to take if they are questioned about their use of generative AI, and steps to take if they are charged with an academic integrity violation for use of generative AI.^{违规定性Integrity framing}

Students who have questions about use of generative AI during the writing process may make an appointment with our GenAI Writing tutors , with whom they can have private and open conversations about using the technology.

How to protect yourself from being charged with inappropriate use of generative AI

• Before using GenAI in a class to translate and/or transcribe a course lecture (which is a type of course recording), be sure to get written permission from your professor^{知识产权IP & copyright} (you may use this form that ELSO developed). Recording a course lecture without written permission is an academic integrity violation.
• Before using GenAI for writing a course paper or a thesis or dissertation, ask your professor/advisor for their policy. You can use this ELSO handout listing ways GenAI can be used when writing to ground the conversation.^{默认规则Default rule}
• Document your writing process by keeping copies of drafts before, during, and after use of GenAI.^{摘录Excerpt} To do this, number each draft and save it as a separate file.^{过程留证Process evidence} You can also keep notes in which you document how you use GenAI during a particular project.
• Save the chats you used to work on your paper. For ChatGPT, select "Share" and keep a link to your chat. Ask other chatbots how a chat can be saved. If all else fails, take a screenshot or print a chat using "Save as PDF" for the destination.
• Check any references and any quotes, paraphrases, and summaries provided by GenAI before using them in your paper.^{核实责任Verification duty}
• Be prepared to describe the ways that you used GenAI during the writing process.
• If you used GenAI during the writing process, when submitting the paper, include a written statement disclosing your use of GenAI.^{披露要求Disclosure} See a sample disclosure statement here .
• Be prepared to orally discuss any content included in your paper.

What to do if a professor asks if you inappropriately used generative AI

• Stay calm. Understand that professors are seeing a lot of student writing generated by AI and their sensitivity is heightened.
• Be honest. See this conversation as an opportunity to get clarity on your professor’s policies on using generative AI.
• Share with your professor evidence of the ways in which you used and didn’t use generative AI. If you don’t have this evidence with you (i.e. you don’t have your laptop handy), ask if you could set up another meeting. If the professor agrees to this, ask the professor what kinds of materials they would like you to bring.

What to do if a professor reports you with an Academic Integrity Violation

• If you are reported for an academic integrity violation, you will be asked to attend a primary hearing. Read more about this process here .
• Prepare for the primary hearing by gathering evidence of the ways in which you used and didn’t use generative AI. This evidence may include copies of drafts, screenshots of gen AI chats, and copies of other papers that show evidence of your writing style. If you met with an ELSO tutor during your writing process, you may ask the ELSO Presenting and Writing Tutoring Coordinator (Nathan Lindberg) for verification that you made an appointment and a summary of the tutor’s session note. If you met with an ELSO faculty member during your writing process, you could ask the faculty for a letter describing the content of the meeting.
• Be honest during the primary hearing. See this as an opportunity to learn more about academic integrity, generative AI, and academic writing.
• If you are found guilty and disagree with this finding and/or the penalties, you have the right to appeal (and have ten days to do so). Read more about this process here: https://deanoffaculty.cornell.edu/faculty-and-academic-affairs/academic-integrity/guidelines-for-students/ .

Developed September 2025

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