Guidelines on the use of GenAI

GenAI Policy

Updated July 2026.

The University Generative AI (GenAI) policy states: “the use of GenAI is permitted unless otherwise stated in a Programme Handbook.” However, the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies (SLLCS) does not allow the use of Generative AI in assessed student work unless it is explicitly permitted by the module coordinator for that particular assessment.

The use of GenAI output on assessed work is in breach of academic integrity if it substitutes for or deceptively purports to be a student’s own work, or if it is not clearly indicated by the student on an assessment for which it is explicitly permitted. As output produced by GenAI is not attributable to the student, it cannot be the basis of an argument for an assessment. Because of this, GenAI output should not be used to formulate a student’s thesis, introduction, or conclusion.

All assessed work must be accompanied by an SLLCS assessed-work coversheet, which requires students to declare if GenAI was used in any capacity during the assessment – including in planning, scaffolding or editing. This question must be answered honestly and in sufficient detail on the cover sheet. If a student denies the use of GenAI but markers find evidence that it was used, this in and of itself will be treated as a breach of academic integrity. 

In cases where GenAI is permitted on an assessment, its uses must be declared on the submitted coversheet and all instances of its use must be properly cited in the text to indicate that it was used (using in-text citations or footnotes). All prompts and changes to the output must also be included in an appendix to allow markers to determine what work is the student’s own. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of academic integrity and will be processed according to Trinity’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Assessments are intended to allow students to use their technical abilities to demonstrate their understanding of a topic based on prior knowledge and what they have learned in the module. Using GenAI to misrepresent their knowledge or skill levels subverts the learning process and ultimately cheats the student by preventing them from developing the critical skills that are the intended outcome of a degree here in SLLCS. The school expects students to rely on their own minds for their work and to develop their own skills and capacities so they will have the intellectual flexibility and independence to confidently face the complex challenges and opportunities of our rapidly changing world.

How to cite GenAI

If GenAI is permitted on an assessment by a module coordinator, its use must be properly cited using in-text citation methods or footnotes and prompts and outputs that were used in the production of the assessed work must be listed in an appendix located after the Bibliography or it will be considered a breach of academic integrity. For all assessed work submitted to modules in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies, citations of GenAI use must follow the format of the relevant Style Guide used on the assessment (e.g. Chicago, Harvard, APA, MLA):

Any citations should be included in an appendix section after the Bibliography and headed ‘Citations of AI’, so that the marker can see them at a glance. The student must provide the full text of the GenAI’s response to each prompt that was used in formulating the assessment so that the marker can understand the full context of its use. Each prompt, followed by the AI response received, must be numbered and listed separately in this section. This is not included in the word count.

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