Feeling stuck coming up with an idea for a paper or project? Has writer's block ever happened to you? AI tools can be a great resource to get some ideas flowing. Just start a conversation and tell the system exactly what you are trying to create, any ideas or topics you might be interested in, and see what the AI might generate. You might use a prompt like, “Can you generate 10 different thesis statements that focus on [topic 1] and [topic 2]? From there you might pick one that peaks your interest and begin exploring further, or perhaps ask the AI to help you refine the idea further adding another topic or area of focus to the prompt. Sometimes this conversation alone can help you get out of a writing funk and start on a great project! 

Word of Caution: AI is technology that has its own perception of the world. It collects and processes data which then provides an output that can impact how we make decisions and recommendations (Klein A. 2023).  It is important to develop ideas beyond the output which is generated by AI. Building on your own thoughts and research of the subject matter and proving your thesis or hypothesis using accurate and relevant scholarly sources and possible experiments. Recognizing any bias or discriminatory content or suggestions by AI. 

Example Prompts for Brainstorming:

• Please generate 20 ideas on how to [task] on [topic]. 

• (Follow up to prior prompt) Those are great ideas, please generate 15 more ideas that are specific to [role]. 

Generative AI tools can be used to help analyze reading material so that you can fully understand a body of text faster and at a deeper level. This can be helpful in a number of ways, including allowing you to engage with an AI tool to help explain aspects of a reading assignment that you don't understand or using an AI tool to help explore the connections or themes among a number of readings that are related. Using AI as a reading assistant can be a great use of the technology. 

Word of Caution: It is important not to rely solely on an AI tool to do the reading for you. It is best if you have read the material yourself first all the way through. Then identify areas that are unclear and use an AI platform to help explain those concepts or topics to you in a different way. Ultimately, you are responsible for all reading material instructors assign to you. Remember, you are also responsible to fact check any information generated by an AI platform. When summarizing a reading or explaining a portion of a text, generate AI may produce false or inaccurate information in the response to you. 

Example Prompts for Reading Comprehension:

• [copy a specific section reading] Please explain in common language the text above to help me understand it fully. 

• [Referencing two or more documents] Please identify 3 common themes among these readings and how they align or differ in their findings. 

Whether you are studying for an upcoming exam or just struggling with a topic you don’t understand from a prior class, AI can be a good tool to use to help explain the concept in a different way. It could be a great way to prepare for a tutoring appointment in the Tutoring Center to help you identify what you need help with from your tutor. 

Word of Caution: Remember, sometimes AI tools have hallucinations when they don’t have a clear answer to a question. Make sure to fact check the answers given to verify the information is accurate. Try a quick Google search on the same topic to confirm the answer. The AI tool will also reiterate anything you tell as if it is 100% accurate, so if you tell it an answer that is wrong, it will not recognize the error. Don’t use AI as your only avenue for studying or tutoring.  The Tutoring Center could help you review AI generated materials for accuracy.  

Example Prompts for Studying & Personal Tutor Assistance

• [Enter a paragraph from your notes or reading] Can you explain this text to me at a beginners level?

• Please quiz me with 10 multiple choice questions on [topic]. I would like to answer the question and then receive feedback if my answer is correct or incorrect and why. 

• Please generate a glossary of terms on [topic] with accurate definitions that I can use as a study guide. 

You can use AI tools like a personal research assistant.

Chatbots like ChatGPT can:

• Make a custom research plan for you

• Generate search terms you can use to look for scholarly articles on the Lavery Library website

• Brainstorm subtopic ideas

• Help you understand scholarly articles

Word of Caution: ChatGPT, Bard, and other chatbots can’t find scholarly sources for you. These, and many other AI tools, make up fake sources. 

It is your responsibility to track down, read, and evaluate any sources suggested by these tools. Lavery Library can help. Visit Lavery Library’s Research Guide about AI tools, or contact the Fisher librarians.

Example Chatbot Prompts for Research:

• Act as if you are my personal research librarian. Come up with a plan for me to research [topic] and find scholarly sources. Outline the steps I should take.

• List ten search terms I should use to search library databases for scholarly or peer-reviewed articles on [topic].

• I am writing a research paper on [topic]. Make a list of ten thesis statements on this topic.

• [copy a specific section of a research article] Please summarize in common language the [insert specific section] section of this research article. 

You can use some specialized AI tools to find scholarly sources–just not ChatGPT or Bard. Visit Lavery Library’s Research Guide about AI tools to get started. 

One great way to use AI is to improve your own writing through feedback and further editing. Did you know you can enter text you have written into the AI platform and ask for the tool to give you feedback on your writing style? You can also use text that the AI has generated and edit it further to customize it for your needs. You may be able to improve your writing or customize your writing into a particular format or style using an AI platform as a tool in the process. 

Word of Caution: Always check with your instructor about how you plan to use AI for any editing purposes. Some instructors may allow this use of the tool and some may not. You must always follow the guidance of the instructor you are working with for a given assignment. Some instructors may ask you to provide additional context on how you used AI in your work, including a transcript of the conversation you had with the AI tool that was then used in your writing. Also, remember, claiming content generated by AI as your own without proper citation is unethical and would be a violation of the academic integrity policy.  Check out the Lavery Library: Citation Resources for help citing AI generated content. Please be aware, even with proper citation, some instructors may still view this use of AI as unethical depending on the course and assignment you are working on. Check with your instructor for clarity. 

Example Prompts for Writing & Editing:

• [Copy/paste your own text] Please proofread the text above, fix any grammar or spelling errors and provide suggestions to improve clarity in a professional tone. 

Did you know that generative AI tools can be great at creating content in unique formats or styles. You can ask a tool like ChatGPT or Bard to write you a song or a poem about a unique topic you are learning about in your course. You can also ask for these kinds of outputs to be written in the style of a specific person, Walt Whitman of Jay-Z for example. You can also use other tools to generate images, music, videos and more. Explore https://theresanaiforthat.com to find a tool that matches your creative spark. 

Word of Caution: Remember, you must cite any generated content by an AI platform. Check out the Lavery Library: Citation Resources for help citing AI generated content. And always check with your instructor to make sure they allow the use of AI for any creative projects you are working on. 

Example Prompts for Creative Endeavors:

• Please write a song in the style of [artist of your choice] on the topic of [topic].

• Please write a mnemonic song that I can use to remember [topic].

It is not ethical to use text produced by a generative AI tool as your own without proper citation and attribution. This would be a violation of Fisher's Academic Integrity Policy. AI tools should be used to assist you, but not replace the effort and thinking that goes into producing writing of your own. If you were to use a generative AI tool to write a paper, assignment, etc. and were to submit the text produced by the AI as your own, you would be in violation of Fisher's Academic Integrity Policy. Please refer to the many ways listed above that AI can be used as a tool to assist in the learning process.