21890 Chap.8 Research Ethics, GenAI and Academic Integrity
Research Ethics, GenAI and Academic Integrity
Ethics with existing data
Research ethics is the Week 6 topic. The Week 5 tutorial lists six principles: benefit to society, qualified researchers, free participation, informed consent, no harm and honest reporting.
They still apply when the data came from someone else.
Generative AI
AI may support background research and self-study, with Copilot recommended through the UTS Library, but content generated by AI may not be presented as your own.
Acknowledge any use in the brief's format.
Academic integrity
Previous projects are held and cross-referenced, vivas can verify your work, and small amounts of your own proposal may be reused in the final report.
Questions to settle early
Decide before analysing how you will anonymise people, whether any data is proprietary, and how you will acknowledge any AI use, so that your method section and your viva answers can explain each choice.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Six principles of research ethics
- 02
Ethics of secondary data
- 03
Permitted uses of generative AI
- 04
Acknowledging AI use
- 05
Vivas as verification
- 06
Reuse, sharing and plagiarism
Worked example · free
Apply the ethics principles to a set of public online reviews
- 1No harm: reviewers did not expect to appear in research, so quoting them by name could expose them.
- 1Honest reporting: themes must reflect the reviews fairly, not only the complaints that suit the argument.
- 1Benefit to society: findings about staff shortages can help employers, so report patterns and paraphrased examples without names.
Key terms
- Informed Consent
- Agreement to take part in research given freely with an understanding of what it involves.
- Academic Misconduct
- Conduct that breaches academic integrity standards, such as presenting generated or copied work as your own.
Research Ethics, GenAI and Academic Integrity FAQ
Do I need ethics approval for a secondary data project?
The research process slide notes that ethics is discussed in Week 6 but is not a formal course requirement. Primary research is ruled out because students lack ethics clearance, and the principles of no harm, anonymity and honest reporting still apply to how you use existing data.
How do I acknowledge using AI in an assessment?
Each brief gives a template: name the tool and link, the specific use, how you modified the output, and how you checked the accuracy of any information, data or sources it produced. Acknowledgement covers permitted uses such as background research, not text generated and presented as yours.
Can I reuse text from my proposal in the final report?
The Week 1 lecture allows small amounts of text from your proposal in the final report. Larger reuse should be rewritten, because the report is meant to extend the proposal, and copying other students' assessments has led to referrals in previous semesters.
What are the six principles of research ethics in the tutorial?
Research should benefit society, be carried out by people who are suitably qualified or supervised, involve subjects who take part freely and only with informed consent, cause no harm to subjects, and be analysed, interpreted and reported honestly and rigorously.
Which AI tool does the subject recommend?
The assessment briefs recommend Copilot, accessed through the UTS Library, for background research and self-study. Whichever tool you use, the same rule applies: it may support your learning, but content it generates cannot be presented as your own work.
Why might I be asked questions about my submitted work?
Vivas, interviews or other invigilated tasks may be used to verify that you completed the work yourself and understand it. Failing to answer adequately may result in a mark of 0 for the task, and these sessions are recorded for future reference.
Can I share my assignment with a classmate after submitting?
No. The subject encourages discussing ideas and peer feedback, but asks you not to share your assignments with peers or post them online. Previous semesters' projects are kept and cross-referenced when copying is suspected.
Assessment move
Write your AI acknowledgement as you work, not at the end, so it is accurate. For any data involving people, decide how you will anonymise and aggregate before you start analysing. If unsure about reuse or sharing, ask the subject coordinator before you submit. Keep notes on where every idea and figure came from as you read, which makes referencing accurate and protects you if your work is questioned in a viva.
When you quote stakeholders, check the surrounding context so that you never misrepresent their views, a rule the academic integrity page for this subject states directly.
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