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Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI and Research

Grant Funder policies

Considering AI
Fig 1. Image generated by Microsoft Copilot powered by DALL-E

Most grant funders will have policies regarding the use of AI for the development and assessment of grant applications. Always consult guidelines for individual funders before commencing your application or review. 

General principles:

  • Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all information they provide is accurate. Content provided by generative AI tools is could potentially be based on the intellectual property of others.
  • Never upload content to genAI systems of which you are not the copyright holder or any information that should not be publicly available.
  • Grant assessors are bound by the Privacy Act 1988, confidentiality requirements, and the Australian Code of Conduct for the Responsible Practice of Research. Grant reviewers should never input any part of others' grant applications into natural language processing or AI systems to assist them with assessment.

Example policies:

Publisher policies

Publishers of journals, books and other scholarly research outputs update their policies regularly. Authors who intend to use AI should always check publisher policies before writing or submitting their output, even if you have published with that publisher previously. 

Publisher policies on the use of generative AI should provide guidance for both authors as well as how AI is used in their own editorial processes. Ensure you are comfortable with these policies before submitting.

Authors are advised to check publishing contracts for clauses regarding agreements between publishers and tech companies for training LLMs and other AI technologies, and how your work might be used based on these agreements. 

Example policies:

AI and Authorship

a robot typing on a keyboard and viewing a computer screen

With the rise of generative AI and large language models, legal and ethical challenges arise in relation to authorship and ownership. Authors should document all contributions clearly and academic practices should ensure transparency, ethics and integrity in scholarly writing. 

In most instances, AI does not meet the criteria for authorship, If you wish to include AI generated content as part of your publication this should be discussed with the publisher and disclosed to the editor. AI generated content should always be referenced and noted.

UWA authors should familiarise themselves with the UWA Guidance on the use of AI and LLM in research writing. 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig 2. Image generated using Microsoft Copilot powered by DALL-E

Webinar recording


 

This introductory webinar delves into the world of generative AI and its implications for academic research. It covers: potential benefits, risks and ethical considerations associated with using AI tools in research processes alongside evaluation and policies. View the recording - UWA login required.

CONTENT LICENCE

 Except for logos, Canva designs, AI generated images or where otherwise indicated, content in this guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.