ChatGPT and other AI platforms are creating opportunities for content creators and everyday folks who rely on AI to generate ideas and even write content. However, universities, publishing companies, and businesses still consider AI-generated essays and articles plagiarism. For many, the same plagiarism rules apply, whether the writing was done by someone other than the author or an AI program like ChatGPT. A common question filling Google search boxes is, “How do I use AI without plagiarizing?”
Is All AI-Generated Text Plagiarized?
While ChatGPT and other AI-based platforms offer potent tools that aid in content creation or even generate entire projects on their own, the technology poses two main problems when it comes to plagiarizing.
The first possible problem deals with how ChatGPT gathers the information that it uses. Much of the information that the AI program learns from is copyrighted information from online newspapers, books, and articles. Therefore, even when ChatGPT appears to be writing original content, it is really reusing other people’s original creations.
The other problem facing users of AI-generated content is that anything created by an AI algorithm is not made by the author. This issue is playing out in the academic and publishing worlds. Many college students are facing serious disciplinary measures for using ChatGPT to write college essays. For the professors, it doesn’t matter whether the paper was written by someone else or a software program; what matters to them is that the students did not write the assignment themselves.
In addition, detecting AI content is also difficult. AI detection software is not foolproof, and in some cases, original work may be flagged as AI. This can lead students and professionals who created original work to deal with the consequences of plagiarism, even if their work was entirely their own. Grammar-checking tools can often lead to false pings.
How to Avoid Plagiarized Content
If you want to avoid being accused of plagiarizing, there are two basic concepts to remember. One is to make sure that whatever you write is original — meaning you typed it word for word. The other important thing to remember is that anything you quote should be attributed to the original source.
Only Turn in Original Content
ChatGPT is a great tool for story ideas. It can outline your article or blog, which can help when you get writer’s block. There is nothing wrong with relying on AI tools to help generate ideas as long as the actual writing is done by you. If the AI tool generates any text that you like, you will have to rewrite that text in your own words. This will not count as plagiarism.
Properly Cite Sources
If you use information from another source or quote someone else, make sure that you attribute credit to those sources. This is another important factor when avoiding plagiarism.
For example, if you quote a news story, place quotes around any text that is quoted word for word and then list the full name of the publication as the source. If you are writing an online article, it may be prudent to link the name of the publication to the original website.
Even when you paraphrase information from another publication, be sure to cite the proper original source. Paraphrasing does not require that you use quotes.
Even when you do not directly quote from another source, you should cite any reference material you used for your research. The three main citation styles used today are:
- APA (American Psychological Association)
- MLA (Modern Language Association)
- Chicago style
APA citations are generally used in the sciences, education, and psychology. MLA is used in the humanities, while the Chicago style is used in the fine arts, history, and business.
Many people use ChatGPT as a research tool, and the AI platform can help you generate story ideas. You can even reference text generated by ChatGPT to help you write portions of your written content as long as you are not copying and pasting the AI-generated text into your final article. AI detection websites are imperfect, but they can still flag your writing if you are pulling directly from AI-generated content.
FAQs
Q: Can AI Be Seen as Plagiarized?
A: AI-generated content is seen as plagiarized if you use it as your own content. For personal projects, there would likely be no negative ramifications. If you are a student or a professional content maker, using AI-generated text could get you into serious trouble. To professors and anyone who is paying for original content, using AI-generated text is akin to plagiarism.
Q: How Do You Write an AI Essay Without Plagiarizing?
A: You can use AI to generate ideas for your essay. As long as you are not directly copying and pasting the AI-generated text into the final essay, you should not be in trouble for plagiarizing. Think of ChatGPT as a tool or resource, not as a replacement for original writing. If you do quote another source, be sure to acknowledge that source through citation.
Q: How Do You Paraphrase Using AI Without Getting Detected?
A: If you are completely rewriting AI-generated text, then you will likely not be detected. Be sure to fully rephrase the text in your own words and in your own writing style. If you leave strings of words unchanged, your article may be flagged using AI detectors. If you paraphrase another person’s words or quotes from a publication, be sure to disclose that source by including some sort of attribution.
Q: How Do You Avoid AI Detection in Writing?
A: The ideal way to avoid AI detection in writing is to only submit writing that you wrote word for word. AI can be a great tool for story ideas, but using AI-generated text is still seen as a form of plagiarism. Depending on the circumstances, using plagiarized material could be seen as a breach of a contract agreement.
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