GenAI in Research

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GenAI in Research at Southern Cross University

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is transforming how we conduct, communicate and apply research. At Southern Cross University, we are committed to the responsible, innovative and ethical integration of GenAI across our research ecosystem.

This resource page sets out our approach to GenAI in research, in line with Australian Government expectations, global best practice, and our institutional values. It provides guidance, curated resources, and recommendations for all researchers, including early-career academics, senior researchers, and Guidelines for HDR candidates on the use of Generative AI. The content will be updated as GenAI technologies evolve.

“At Southern Cross University, we recognise that Generative AI is reshaping how research is conducted, shared, and understood. Our commitment is to harness these technologies ethically, inclusively, and innovatively, and to empower researchers to achieve more, while upholding the highest standards of integrity and impact.”

Professor Mary Spongberg, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Academic Capability), at the Impact Forum in Lismore
Professor Mary Spongberg, Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor

Guidelines for researchers

  • The University encourages the responsible adoption of GenAI to enhance research workflows, collaboration, draft writing, coding, and discovery.
  • Researchers remain accountable for all outputs, including those shaped with GenAI assistance.
  • GenAI must not replace critical analysis, ethical judgment or academic authorship.
  • Be aware that academic publishers have a range of independent policies regarding the use of GenAI in research publication. Researchers should consider the specific policies of publishers to understand permitted use of GenAI.

  • Researchers must comply with the guidelines of a publisher of funding body regarding the disclosure of GenAI use, which may include disclosure in the form of acknowledgements, as part of methodology, or in citations or references.
  • Documented use includes validated GenAI completions that contribute meaningfully to the intellectual or structural elements of a research output e.g., literature synthesis, hypothesis development, figure design, or draft writing.

  • The University’s Copilot environment is secure. Login to use Copilot with confidence.
  • Exercise caution when using GenAI tools, especially third-party or public services. Do not upload sensitive, confidential, private, or unpublished research data into these tools, as this could compromise data security, privacy, and intellectual property.
  • Researchers are responsible for understanding the data handling policies of any GenAI tool used.
  • Review the University Library guide for sample GenAI tools in research

  • While GenAI can assist, authorship and copyright for research outputs remain with human creators.
  • Research outputs must be validated and reproducible.
  • Purely AI-generated content, without creative and critical human intellectual input, is not eligible for copyright protection in Australia or overseas jurisdictions.
  • Researchers must ensure their use of GenAI respects existing intellectual property rights of training data and generated content.
  • Review the University guide to copyright considerations with GenAI

  • The quality and relevance of information returned by GenAI is dependent on the use of plain-English, specific prompts. Consider the information you wish to retrieve or exclude and ensure your search prompts reflect this level of specificity.
  • Clarity and specificity in your prompts will help to avoid or reduce incidence of:
    • unpredictability in responses
    • bias, discrimination and other forms of unfairness in content
    • false, ‘hallucinating’, manipulative, or misleading responses
  • Do not over-rely on the use of GenAI. Evaluate potential limitations and errors, and exercise critical judgment by validating information provided in GenAI responses prior to using them for research purposes.

University training and GenAI support

All staff are enrolled in the University’s AI Essentials Login to Scout to complete the course, which contextualises ethical and responsible use of GenAI, the importance of critical thinking when using GenAI in academic work, and describes the effective and efficient use of Copilot.

Login to Scout

Resources

Research at Southern Cross University

Southern Cross University Library guides

Southern Cross University GenAI

Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency guidelines

International resources