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POH 105 Ounce of Prevention: Public Health Past

This course guide was designed to assist students in POH105 with conducting library research for their assignments

Gen AI and Library Research

Always read the course outline to understand your instructor’s expectations around use of AI - there is no standard approach at TMU; expectations will vary from course to course. In POH 105, your instructor has included clear assignment instructions regarding the use of AI for this assignment - make sure you understand what is acceptable use.

In terms of Library research, what is Gen AI not good at? 

  • Gen AI is not a collection of published research (yet) - best to use OMNI, Library databases, Google Scholar, etc.

  • It can create ‘hallucinations’, which are fake citations that don’t exist!

  • You’ll need to verify any sources that it offers

  • Avoid using Gen AI to summarize a source, or write your literature review - may be inaccurate, make up conclusions.  Reading and analyzing the article yourself is a critical part of the research process.

In terms of Library research, what is Gen AI useful for?

  • Brainstorming keywords, synonyms - a useful prompt might be - "What are some keywords for the topic of  X?" "What are some synonyms for X?"

  • Asking questions without judgment (but be sure to fact check responses)

Further reading:

TMU Libraries libguide on Generative AI

TMU's Academic Integrity Office's Artificial Intelligence FAQs

TMU's Academic Integrity Office has also created a video to educate students on using AI ethically.