Department of Environmental Science Graduate Program AI Guidelines (April 2026)
The faculty recognize the potential of generative AI (gAI) to significantly enhance graduate student education and research by providing new tools to aid in data analysis, coding, hypothesis generation, problem-solving, results interpretation, and writing. However, it is critical to use this technology responsibly and ethically, and to avoid potential plagiarism. As a graduate student, you should be able to formulate your own innovative ideas and thoughts as applied to coursework, research projects, and your dissertation. gAI can be helpful for summarizing literature and facilitating experimental design and analysis; however, it can also produce inaccurate data and introduce biases. It is your responsibility to verify and evaluate any information obtained from gAI. Students should prioritize their learning outcomes and professional development when using AI. While AI can enhance efficiency, it should not replace critical thinking, problem-solving, or deep engagement with classroom and/or research materials. Students will be held responsible for content produced by AI, whether used in research, coursework, or other professional activities.
You are Responsible for Your Learning — The faculty wants you to prioritize learning and professional development over efficiency when it comes to AI.
You are Responsible for AI Outputs that You Use — When you use AI, you will be held responsible for content that it produces, whether used in research, coursework, professional activities, or other learning environments.
AI tools should be used responsibly, with the author(s) accountable for the accuracy, integrity, and transparency of the content produced. It is not appropriate to use gAI to produce significant amounts of text for publications, proposals, coursework, or in your dissertation. It is also not appropriate to use gAI to perform manuscript reviews, or in other professional work products without explicit instructions allowing the usage.
There are appropriate uses of AI or gAI; however, their use requires full disclosure and transparency, approval by your PI and/or course instructor, and that students retain intellectual authorship. Failure to comply may represent academic misconduct and could result in disciplinary action.
The following are examples of appropriate use, provided adherence to departmental guidelines:
Better understanding of the scientific literature and performing background research
Brainstorming ideas to aid in developing hypotheses, while retaining intellectual authorship
Editing and revising text and grammar, but it should not be used to generate sentences or paragraphs of text
Assisting in code development and programming tasks
The following are examples of inappropriate use of AI:
Do not use AI for Peer Review
Peer review is a learning process for the reviewer: If you outsource your review work to AI, you won't learn from it. It is also explicitly prohibited by most scientific journals.
Do not use AI when Applying for Scholarships
Unless explicitly instructed otherwise, avoid using AI tools for scholarship applications, including essays or the completion of the application.
Do not use AI if it is Harmful or Illegal
Don't use AI to impersonate instructors or other students, in ways that disrupt classes or threaten instructors or fellow students, or employ AI to create or spread false or misleading information about courses or instructors.
Don't use AI to generate false or misleading academic records or recommendations.
Don't use AI tools to circumvent academic integrity policies or gain an unfair advantage in assessments.
Applications for AI in your specific research areas should be discussed with your PI. Individual research groups may have other allowances or limitations for the use of AI or gAI.
Students should adhere to ethical standards, protect privacy, and be aware of cybersecurity risks. Students should avoid inputting sensitive, confidential, or personal information into AI tools. This includes the work of peers and instructors.
As stated above, it is critical to be transparent about the use of gAI for assignments or in research and to disclose its use. In other words, all instances of gAI should be explicitly acknowledged. For example, ACS Publications has a statement on Authorship, Author List, and Coauthor Notification. ACS Author Guidelines 2023.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools do not qualify for authorship. The use of AI tools for text or image generation should be disclosed in the manuscript within the Acknowledgment section with a description of when and how the tools were used. For more substantial use cases or descriptions of AI tool use, authors should provide full details within the Methods or other appropriate section of the manuscript.
Additional Resources:
Baylor University Libraries Student Guide to Generative AI
https://libguides.baylor.edu/students-chatGPT
Baylor University ITS AI Online Resource
Guidelines partially adapted from “AI Guidelines for Students,” from George Mason University
https://www.gmu.edu/ai-guidelines/ai-guidelines-students