This page explains the History Department's approach to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). This guidance is designed to help you to understand when it is acceptable (or not) to use GenAI in your history assignments. If you have further questions, you can speak with your Personal Tutor, Seminar Tutor, or Year Director. Please note, however, that as GenAI continues to evolve, and historians begin to integrate it into their practice, what is acceptable use of GenAI may well change. Therefore please check this page regularly for updates.
As this page explains, even when GenAI use is acceptable, it may not be desirable. It is often better to learn to do something yourself before delegating it to a machine, because this enables you to better judge what GenAI is telling you.
Key Principles
You must be able to demonstrate intellectual ownership of your own work. This means that you must not use GenAI to replace your own intellectual labour, which includes thinking, reading, and writing.
You must not use GenAI tools to gain an unfair advantage or to create content that is presented as your own work. This is Academic Misconduct.
You must not use GenAI to complete any part of your assessments that you would not ask another human to do for you. GenAI must not be used to complete any element of your work that is assessed under the department marking criteria.
You must acknowledge GenAI use in the same circumstances, and in the same way, as you acknowledge any other sources or tools that you use for your assessments.
You should be aware of the data protection implications of GenAI and you must respect the intellectual property rights of others. This means only using university-licensed GenAI tools (currently Microsoft CoPilot) if you wish to input course materials or documents (including essay questions, lecture slides, articles) that you have not authored or which include others’ data (e.g. oral history interviews). You are welcome to use other GenAI tools for your own work, but be aware that your intellectual property may not be protected when you do so.
If an individual assignment has specific instructions regarding the use of GenAI that differ from those in this handbook, you should follow the instructions for that assignment.
If in doubt, don't use GenAI for an assignment task without checking with your seminar tutor first.
Key Terms
Automation: Getting machines to do things that people once did. Includes mental as well as physical automation. For example, a pocket calculator automates mental arithmetic. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a more complex kind of mental automation.
Non-Generative AI: A type of artificial intelligence designed to optimise processes, analyse data, and make predictions. Basic spelling-checkers and grammar-checkers are examples of non-generative AI tools.
Generative AI (GenAI): A type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text, images, audio, or video, by learning patterns from existing data. ChatGPT, CoPilot, Claude, and Gemini are examples of GenAI tools.
Large language model (LLM): A type of GenAI specifically trained on large-scale textual data to understand and generate human-like language through statistical pattern recognition.
Prompt: The input or question a user gives to a GenAI model, which the model then uses as a basis to produce a response.
Hallucination (in AI): When GenAI produces content that sounds plausible but is factually incorrect or entirely made up.
GenAI and the Study of History
Historians take a deliberative approach to studying the past, critically assessing their sources as well as scholarship in the discipline. In a history degree you learn a wide range of skills, including critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, a sensitivity to the strangeness and unknowable nature of the past, attentiveness to complexity and contingency, the deployment of evidence, and the development of your individual voice. As you develop these skills over the course of your degree, it is vital that you maintain, and can demonstrate, intellectual ownership of your work.
Some of these skills can be plausibly imitated by GenAI, such as summarising large amounts of text (synthesis) or “analysing” texts. However, there are ethical, emotional and embodied dimensions to historical study which cannot be replaced by GenAI. GenAI can help historians with some tasks, such as finding patterns in large amounts of data, but other historical tasks are done poorly (or cannot be done at all) by GenAI, such as conducting interviews, or handling original archival documents.
Historians are especially sensitive to some of the pitfalls of GenAI tools, many of which are built into their design. For example, GenAI tools:
Are trained on a specific corpus of texts which (though large) leaves out a vast number of records available to a trained historian (e.g. those in physical archives);
Are not trained to recognise change over time, or to take account of the date of the publication of a source when assessing its usefulness or accuracy, so they can provide out-of-date information;
Are not trained to consider the origin of the texts they are drawing on, so they draw no distinction between peer-reviewed scholarship and anything posted on the internet;
They can sometimes hallucinate: they can simply invent things, whether footnotes, quotations, or “facts”;
They can be vague about their sources, in part because they synthesise many different sources;
They tend to flatten out individuality and creativity, producing generic prose and predictable ideas.
GenAI has immense potential in historical work. But it should be used with great caution, especially for history, where the processes of reading, thinking, and writing are so intertwined.
Acceptable and Unacceptable Use of GenAI in History Assignments
The list* below includes some specific historical tasks, with advice as to what is acceptable and unacceptable use of GenAI in your assignments, and when you need to acknowledge your use of GenAI tools.
The list is ordered roughly in the the order in which you might approach an assignment, not in the order of acceptable vs unacceptable use of GenAI. Make sure you read each section carefully before using a GenAI tool for any specific task.
For the reasons noted above, even when GenAI use is acceptable, it may not be desirable. It is often better to learn to do something yourself before delegating it to a machine, because this enables you to better judge what GenAI is telling you. Therefore the list also includes recommended alternatives to the use of GenAI.
If in doubt, don't use GenAI for a task without checking with your seminar tutor first.
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes, as long as you only use university-licensed GenAI tools (currently Microsoft CoPilot) as it is vital that you protect the data and intellectual property rights of university staff. Lectures and other course materials produced by staff are the property of those staff members. To use any other GenAI tool for this task would be academic misconduct and a potential breach of copyright and GDPR legislation.
However, this is not recommended because we expect you to fully engage with lectures and other provided course materials.
Note that GenAI summaries can be misleading, generic, or leave out relevant information.
You should listen to lectures carefully, and in full, and take your own notes, because this is how you will gain understanding of the material.
If you don't understand concepts or ideas discussed in the lecture, then you are encouraged to raise questions in the seminar, and/or to contact the lecturer directly.
No.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes, though it is not recommended. This is because GenAI lists will not be curated in the same way as those produced by historians (see recommended alternatives).
If you do use GenAI for this task, you will need to check that the books and articles listed are not hallucinations, that they are actually relevant to your assignment, and then read them yourself.
You will also need to check the quality of the suggested references: GenAI is often not able to distinguish between peer-reviewed scholarship and anything else written online.
The Further Reading list for the module. Reading lists are curated by module convenors, and therefore will already include the most relevant texts for a particular topic. You can also consult reading lists for any module in the department, not just those on the modules you are studying.
You can search the catalogue of the Warwick library, or the catalogues of other relevant libraries.
You can ask your seminar tutor or supervisor for their recommendations.
There are many overview works (textbooks, surveys, companions, encyclopaedias, etc.) in the library that are designed to guide scholars through the secondary literature on a given topic.
No. This is equivalent to searching the library catalogue or using a reading list.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes. This may be useful to help you decide whether the article or chapter is relevant for your assignment, and whether to read it. However, using a GenAI summary should never replace reading the actual article or chapter itself; it should be used as a starting point for critical engagement.
Note that GenAI summaries can be misleading, generic, or leave out relevant information to your assignment.
For articles, the abstract, if available. As abstracts are written by authors, they are a reliable source of information about the article’s key points.
For books and chapters of books, you can often use the book’s introduction to find an author-written or editor’s summary of each chapter. The contents page, conclusion, and index of a book are also useful for the same purpose.
No, as long as you have read any sources that you cite in your assignment.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
No. This is academic misconduct because you are using GenAI to create content that is presented as your own work. If you have been asked to produce a literature review or annotated bibliography, any content you submit must be your own writing, based on your own engagement with the books or articles that you have read.
You must read each book or article itself, and understand it, in order to summarise its relevance for your project.
N/a – because doing this is academic misconduct.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes. You may use GenAI like an encyclopaedia, but you must be aware of its strengths and weaknesses in this capacity. It can instantaneously produce answers to a vast number of questions on many topics. Its sources include texts written by experts, and it can explain difficult concepts with great clarity. However, it often gets things wrong. It gives a false sense of clarity, certainty, and universality. Individual outputs have not been vetted by any human experts.
Every important historical fact or concept generated by AI needs to be checked against a scholarly source.
There are many scholarly works that function like encyclopaedias, giving basic factual and conceptual knowledge on a topic. This includes textbooks, companions, timelines, historical atlases, and survey works of narrative history. Knowing these works is part of what it means to be a historian. It is good practice to ‘read around’ a topic before (or while) asking specific questions about it.
No, as long as you have checked all of the content generated against a scholarly source.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
It depends. GenAI can be helpful as you organise your thoughts and test out your ideas at the very early stages of your project. For example, you might prompt GenAI to suggest several possible ways of organising an essay, based on your preliminary findings and intended argument, which you then consider, in the same way that you might have a conversation about structure with your seminar tutor or a friend on your module.
However, you must never simply adopt a suggestion by GenAI and use it as your own. You must ensure that the argument that you are making, and the structure you have chosen, is based on your own knowledge, ideas and understanding. The ideas in your assignment must be your own.
The department is aware that the nature of GenAI means that the line between acceptable and unacceptable use in this case is not a clear one. If you are concerned about where the line is between your use of GenAI and your own ideas, discuss this with your seminar tutor. If in doubt, don’t use GenAI for this task, because otherwise you risk accusations of academic misconduct.
You must also ensure that you are critically reflecting on any suggestions provided by GenAI, which may be based on hallucinations or inaccuracies.
Your seminar tutor or supervisor will also be able to talk through your assignment, help you to organise your thoughts, and make suggestions on how to organise your assignment.
No, because all of the ideas presented in your work must be your own. Presenting ideas that are not your own is academic misconduct.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
No. This is academic misconduct because you are using AI to create content that is presented as your own work, even if you edit the AI-generated text. This is the case whether it is the whole essay, a paragraph, or a single sentence.
You must ensure that any work you submit is entirely your own.
N/a – because doing this is academic misconduct.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
No. This is academic misconduct. An AI agent is not you, so its work is not your work. This is still academic misconduct if the AI agent uses your own past work as a knowledge base or as training material. In that case, this would be a form of self-plagiarism, where you present your own past work as if it is new work.
You must ensure that any work you submit is entirely your own.
N/a – because doing this is academic misconduct.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
No. This is academic misconduct because you are using AI to replace your own
replace your own intellectual labour, which includes thinking, reading, and writing.
You must ensure that you have read, and understood, the historiographical debates with which you are engaging. There are sometimes overview texts (available via reading lists) that will provide useful summaries of scholarly debates in your field. You can also seek advice from your seminar tutor or supervisor.
N/a – because doing this is academic misconduct.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
No. This is academic misconduct because you are using AI to replace your own intellectual labour, which includes thinking, reading, and writing. AI also regularly hallucinates quotations and references, so you must always check the original.
Remember that it is academic misconduct to prompt GenAI to write an essay, or part of an essay, and submit it as your own work, with or without editing. This includes quotations.
You must read the original text of any author that you cite. If, on reading the original, you still wish to include it, then that is acceptable as long as you are citing from the original text.
N/a – because doing this is academic misconduct.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes. This is one of the ways that historians are using GenAI to great effect. However, you must ensure that all of the analysis and writing of the assignment is your own.
You should also critically engage with any data generated by AI, as it may be based on inaccuracies or hallucinations.
This is a task that you would otherwise need to do manually.
Yes. As part of the introduction to your assignment you would need to explain the methodology that you used, your prompts, etc. Discuss this with your supervisor or seminar tutor.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes, as long as you only use university-licensed GenAI tools (currently Microsoft CoPilot) as it is vital that you protect the data and intellectual property rights of your interviewees. To use any other GenAI tool for this task would be academic misconduct, a breach of university ethics regulations, and a potential breach of UK GDPR legislation.
However, you should always check the transcription carefully as there may well be inaccuracies.
This is a task that you would otherwise need to do manually.
No, as long as you have checked it for accuracy.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Possibly. You should only do so if you have enough knowledge of the language to check that the translation is accurate. If you don’t know that the translation is correct, then you will not be able to analyse the source.
Use published translations of sources wherever possible. If you are not able to read the language of a particular source that is not available in translation, then you should discuss options with your seminar tutor or supervisor.
Yes. You should explain in a footnote how any translations were generated, if you did not do them yourself.
The format for acknowledging use of GenAI is based on that for acknowledging other sources or tools. For example, if you have used a GenAI translation, you would place a footnote after the quotation with a citation such as this:
This example is taken from the Chicago Manual of Style, which provides more detail here.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes. If you are writing an assignment that has the intention of critically analysing GenAI outputs, you can use any GenAI tools just as you would any other primary source.
N/a
Yes. The format for acknowledging use of GenAI is based on that for acknowledging other sources or tools. For example, if you have quoted GenAI verbatim, you would place a footnote after the quotation with a citation such as this:
This example is taken from the Chicago Manual of Style, which provides more detail here.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes, as long as the GenAI tool does not amend any of the content of the essay, or add any additional points.
You must ensure that your use of GenAI tools does not contravene the University Proofreading Policy.
It is vital to ensure that you give the GenAI tool specific prompts to only offer suggestions, and not to automatically change writing or ideas.
You can use GenAI to proofread your assignment, to provide targeted feedback, and to provide suggestions about how to improve. However, you must make any changes based on the feedback yourself. To have GenAI make any changes to your assignment is academic misconduct, because you must maintain intellectual ownership of your ideas and your writing – and in history, writing, reading and thinking are always intertwined.
You should also critically engage with any feedback that you receive from GenAI, as it may be based on inaccuracies.
Seminar tutors and supervisors are not permitted to read drafts of your work before submission. However, this is due to issues of capacity, rather than of intellectual ownership. You can ask for feedback on a plan, and discuss your argument, structure, and writing with them.
You can ask a third party to proofread your writing and give you feedback, as long as they only identify errors, and do not rewrite or add to existing content. See the University Proofreading Policy for further guidance.
You can also seek general advice on essay writing from your personal tutor. When you receive feedback from a marker, you should make use of office hours to further discuss how to improve in the future. See the guidance on making the most of feedback in this handbook.
Yes. In line with the University Proofreading Policy, if you use a proofreader of any kind (GenAI or human, or any spelling- or grammar-checker powered by GenAI) you must declare this in your assignment. If you use GenAI for feedback or proofreading, you should state, at the top of the assignment:
“I have used GenAI for this assignment, to [insert specific tasks here]. I confirm that all the work submitted is entirely my own.”
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
No. This is academic misconduct because you are using AI to create content that is presented as your own work. Being able to write well is an important skill for historians, and therefore is a key component of your learning. As such, it is included in the History marking criteria. Your markers want to read your individual voice, not that of a machine. Remember that in history, writing, reading and thinking are always intertwined.
You should always proofread your own work carefully. Try reading it out loud in order to catch mistakes or identify phrasing that needs clarification. You can use basic (non-generative) spelling and grammar checkers to identify errors, as long as you then make any changes yourself.
You can ask a third party to proofread your writing and give you feedback, as long as they only identify errors, and do not rewrite or add to existing content. See the University Proofreading Policy for further guidance.
N/a – because doing this is academic misconduct.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes. This is because there is a standard format for citations and you are also allowed to use referencing software to format your references, or to copy correct citations from journal websites. However, GenAI can hallucinate references, particularly for books and articles that are not widely cited, so you must check them carefully for accuracy before you submit your assignment.
See the section of this handbook on referencing for advice on how to format footnotes and bibliography correctly. It is important to learn how to do this correctly yourself, so that you know whether any citations created by GenAI or other referencing software are correct. If you want to use referencing software to assist with writing citations, the library recommends Endnote.
For articles, correct citations are also often available on the article website, and you can cut and paste these into your footnotes and bibliography.
You can also seek advice on how to format references from your seminar tutor, supervisor, or personal tutor.
No.
Is it acceptable to use GenAI?
Recommended alternatives to using GenAI
Does the use of GenAI need to be acknowledged, and if so, how?
Yes, if there is no equivalent historical image, chart, or map that can be used instead. For example, you could use GenAI to create a visual representation of a particular historical phenomena for a presentation. However you should not use GenAI to falsify a primary source (e.g. to create a historical photograph that does not exist). You should also check any AI-generated images for accuracy, as you would any AI-generated text.
Use an actual historical image instead, or a chart or map already available. You should discuss options with your seminar tutor or supervisor.
Yes. The format for acknowledging use of GenAI is based on that for acknowledging other sources or tools. For example, if you have used an image generated by AI, you would place a caption under the image with a citation such as this:
This example is taken from the Chicago Manual of Style, which provides more detail here.
Keeping Records of GenAI Use
It is good practice to keep a record of any dialogues you have with GenAI chatbots in the course of your academic work. This is an extension of ordinary scholarly note-taking. Like other note-taking, it helps to organise your ideas, remember what you have learnt, ensure that your quotes are accurate, and trace any errors to their source.
It can also help to demonstrate intellectual ownership of your work, if you are suspected of Academic Misconduct. For example, it can help to show that you have used GenAI in an acceptable rather than an unacceptable way. You are advised to keep a record of any conversations with GenAI tools about your academic work, either by saving screengrabs or by downloading the transcripts of the chat history.
GenAI and Academic Integrity
All students should be able to demonstrate intellectual ownership of their work, and are responsible for the work that they submit for assessment. This is how we maintain academic integrity. A failure to follow these principles that gives you, or has the potential to give you, an unfair advantage is called “Academic Misconduct.” You are strongly encouraged to read the History department’s policy on Academic Integrity. Using GenAI in ways that this handbook has noted are unacceptable, is Academic Misconduct. You can find specific examples in the list of Acceptable and Unacceptable Use of GenAI in History Assignments.
A failure to disclose the use of GenAI, or the use of a misleading description of its use, may have significant consequences for your studies and may be prejudicial in any later Academic Misconduct investigations should they arise. As a result, you are advised to keep good records of GenAI use, as noted above.
