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AI tools: Using AI

This guide looks at generative AI tools - how to use them and considerations around their use.

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Using generative AI in the best way

First, read the AI at Newcastle page in this guide - this includes information on using Grammarly.

Before deciding to use a generative AI tool, such as Copilot or ChatGPT, check with your course coordinator or lecturer to make sure that it’s permissible in your course and/or assessment, and that your intended use won’t breach the University’s academic integrity policy (read more about academic integrity).

Just because information is available on the internet does not mean that it’s free from copyright, or that it has been shared with the owner’s consent. It’s almost impossible to know where information produced by a generative AI tool came from, and it could contain inherent biases, which may then be incorporated into the tool's response to your prompts (see Issues and Considerations for more).

For these reasons, it’s important to check the outputs from generative AI to ensure you aren’t breaching academic integrity, consent, or copyright – and to ensure that your eventual output is not flawed by bias or inaccuracy.

If you have permission from your course coordinator or lecturer to go ahead with using AI, here are some tips to get better results: ​​​​​​

ChatGPT can’t replicate your learning or style of writing because they are yours, but it can provide you with some ideas. You can expand on those ideas by researching, exploring other resources (try using Library Search to find some!) and extrapolating from lectures and tutorials.

Does it agree with what you’ve already learned about your subject? How does it compare with other subject-specific resources you have read - is it accurate? Does it contain any kind of bias, or unexpected results? For more help with evaluating content, try the Library’s Resource Evaluation Tool.

If not, try adding more parameters to your prompt. For example:

  • Has the response actually answered your initial question? What words or ideas might need to be added to your prompt?
  • Do you need to provide background or context? For example, you might have asked ChatGPT to explain the rules of netball. Do you need to tell it that you have never watched a netball game before, and that you need the rules explained in ‘non-expert’ terms?
  • Whose perspective is required? Do you need to tell the tool to approach the question from a certain point of view, such as a university professor, a social worker, or a research study participant? Or would you like it to talk like a pirate? Anything is possible, and different perspectives can give you a better all-round idea of the concept.
  • How much detail has been provided? What words might you add to your prompt to obtain more?
  • Do you need more detailed information? That is, has the tool provided you with a high-level, big-picture response when you actually need a narrower focus?
  • Do you need to add a date range, a narrower topic, or a location to your prompt to make the response more relevant and useful?

You can ask for responses in the form of bulleted lists, dot points, tables, and so on, instead of straight text. If you’re feeling adventurous you can even ask for the response to be formatted in HTML or CSS.

OpenAI have provided 'Six strategies for getting better results' on their ​​​​​​Prompt engineering page.

The Masterpreneur's guide for beginners provides some useful tips, as does the CREATE framework by Tom Barrett.

The CREATE framework is also applied in this LinkedIn Learning course (1hr 15 mins): How to Research and Write Using Generative AI Tools

Note: If you need scholarly, authoritative resources, use Library Search or a library database, and restrict your results to articles from peer-reviewed journals.

Microsoft Copilot access for staff and students

The University provides free access for staff and students to the premium version of Copilot; sign in using your University Microsoft account details. Copilot can also be accessed via the icon in the Edge browser (top right).

Copilot draws from GPT-4 and is connected to the internet so its responses have more chance of using up-to-date sources. Copilot also provides links to where it obtained information, which can aid in checking for authority and accuracy (this is important to do!). Image generation is also possible via Copilot's integration of DALL-E 3.

The enterprise tool provides protection for your data and does not use your prompts to train the model, nor does it save any of the prompts or responses.

It's important to check for the 'Protected' icon top-right of window to ensure that you're logged in through the University's access:

Protected icon in MS Copilot

If you hover your mouse over this icon it should read: "Protected Your personal and company data are protected".

To learn more, see the DTS knowledgebase article Microsoft Copilot: getting started

Watch a free short (35 minute) LinkedIn Learning course: Streamlining Your Work with Copilot

Other AI tools

The University of Newcastle does not endorse any of the following tools. For an approved AI tool, see the enterprise version of Copilot above. 

Generative AI is an evolving space. Keep up to date with new tools via There's an AI for That and the Generative AI Product Tracker.

Here is a very short list of some generative AI tools. These may not offer data security/privacy like the University's access to Copilot:

Text generators

  • ChatGPT 3.5 (free, but its data mining stopped in 2021 so it may not provide up to date information)
  • ChatGPT 4.0 (available for a fee. Differs from version 3.5 as it may provide more up-to-date responses, but is not connected to the internet)
  • ChatGPT 4omni mini (currently free with some limitations)
  • Gemini (Google's generative AI tool, previously known as BARD)
  • Perplexity AI
  • HuggingChat 
  • Claude (has a free option but requires an account)
  • Caktus (draws academic resources from its own database; intended for students)

Image generators

Some ways that you could use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools ethically (within the parameters allowed for students):

  • Use the tool to help you learn a language, or translate lecture and tutorial content from English into your first language to assist understanding.

Here's an example prompt to try, after which you can have a whole conversation where ChatGPT will answer what you write (in French or English) in French, followed by an English translation. PROMPT: "Have a conversation with me. Please write your answers in French and then add an English translation. I heard it will rain later." OUTPUT: "[text in French, then translation] It seems that it will rain later. That's a shame, I'd like to go out for a walk."

Screenshot from Generative artificial intelligence technologies and teaching and learning by Monash University, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

  • Use the tool to create a summary of policies, strategies, etc., to help with understanding or learning.

Copilot summary of Closing the Gap strategy, based on the prompt: "Tell me the key points of Australia's Closing the Gap strategy"

Screenshot taken from Copilot, response generated 25 March 2024 [response shown is incomplete for space reasons]

Acknowledging your use of generative AI

It's important to be transparent when using generative AI tools. This includes having an acknowledgement or declaration of which tool you've used and how. Kester Brewin's article from The Guardian provides some useful guidelines:

  • Was anything generated using AI (e.g., essay text, images, etc.)?

  • Was anything suggested using AI (e.g., creating an outline, discussion points, etc.)?

  • Was anything improved using AI (e.g., clarity, structure, tone, format/layout, etc.)?

  • Was anything corrected using AI (e.g., spelling, grammar, etc.)? And if so, did you check/evaluate/edit these suggestions?

These considerations can be worked into an acknowledgement of your use of AI, using the sample template below:

Acknowledgement

I acknowledge my use of [insert tool name + (access link)] to [state how you've used the tool]. The prompt I used was: [include prompt]. I then [specific mention of any additional use, edits, or changes you've made].

Examples:

  • I acknowledge my use of Copilot (https://copilot.microsoft.com) to generate discussion points for this essay. The prompt I used was: "What are key points to consider around climate change in Australia?". I then used some of the suggested topics to write my own essay text based on research and readings I undertook.
  • I acknowledge my use of Perplexity AI (https://www.perplexity.ai) to adjust the tone of the script for this video. The prompt I used was: "Make the following script sound less formal: [full text of draft script available by request*]". I then edited the output for content and adjusted the terminology to suit the suggested audience.
  • I acknowledge my use of ChatGPT (https://chatgpt.com) to translate concepts I did not understand into my own language. The prompts I used were "Translate [X] into Mandarin and provide a definition". I then used these explanations to guide how I answered the essay question.
  • I acknowledge my use of DALL-E (via Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com) to generate images for this PowerPoint presentation. The prompts I used were "Create an image of a nurse [doing X]". I then cropped or refocused the images as needed.

* Note that you may be required to include draft material or extended / lists of prompts as part of your assessment submission, e.g., in an appendix or as an additional file.

Referencing information taking from generative AI outputs

You can find information on how to cite outputs from generative AI tools in the library’s Referencing Guides. Note that most AI tools will not have shareable links for their outputs. Where this is possible via a shareable link (e.g., ChatGPT), including this link is recommended.

For AGLC4, APA 7, Chicago A, Chicago B, and MLA: Using the left menu, go to the ‘Other sources’ tab.

For Harvard: Using the left menu, go to the "Email etc.' tab.

For JAMA and Vancouver: Using the left menu, go to the 'Personal Comm' tab.

Once on the pages mentioned above, click on the option for 'Generative AI', as illustrated below.

Screen from referencing guide showing Generative AI referencing page

Before creating AI-generated imagery there are a number of considerations to be taken into account. LDTI here at the University have created some useful pages for use of AI image generators:

These pages have been created with staff/course use in mind, but still have useful information for students.

And when working with these image generators, don't forget about the potential bias and copyright issues and considerations in this space, and citing that you've use an AI tool (see the Citing your use tab on this page).

How can we improve?

We'd love to hear your feedback on this guide. If you think changes could be made, or more information added, please go to our feedback page and let us know.