Guidelines for using AI tools in final theses and seminar papers

Guidelines for Using AI Tools in Academic Papers
AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) can be used in the preparation of academic papers just as tools for literature searches or spell checking have been used in the past. However, the use of AI tools is only permitted for those steps in the preparation of a thesis or seminar paper that do not involve writing the text itself.
This includes, in particular, choosing and narrowing down topics, conducting literature research, generating ideas for structuring the paper, or generating ideas for discussing a concept used in the paper.
When using AI tools, it is important, as with the use of other permitted aids, to be aware of their weaknesses and risks before using them.
If you decide to use text-generating AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) and incorporate their results into your work, the following points must be observed:
1. Copying text, images, or tables from the outputs of the AI (in the sense of "copy and paste") is not allowed.
2. If the outputs of the AI contain content that you want to use in your work, the same principle applies as when working with Wikipedia or similar sources: You must cite academic sources that substantiate the relevant content.
3. a) If you use an AI tool (e.g., DeepL) to translate a source from a foreign language and cite this translation, you must indicate both the primary source and the AI tool used in the citation, e.g., (Meier 2007, pp. 208-209; translated by DeepL).
b) If your own texts are translated into a foreign language using an AI tool, this must be indicated in the introduction. The same applies for the use of AI in creating or revising codes.
4. a) The parts of the AI research that have been incorporated into your paper must be documented in a separate file ("Documentation AI") by listing the questions/prompts along with the corresponding answers or outputs of the AI tool completely. Texts must be imported as such (not as screenshots).
b) This documentation must be submitted in digital form along with the thesis or seminar paper.
Please note: When using AI tools such as ChatGPT, you remain fully responsible for the originality of your work, the correctness, appropriateness, and timeliness of your arguments and all your statements, as well as your translations and citations. Failing to mark or cite outputs from AI tools will be treated as an attempt at deception or plagiarism, just as missing citations from other sources would be.

Note: This regulation applies to theses that are registered from 15.04.2024 onwards.