Navigating the AI Frontier: Research Degree Student Practices & Ethical Guidelines in UK Universities

About this project

A research-informed workshop bringing together doctoral and master's research students to share experiences and perspectives on the ethical use of AI tools in academic research.

• • Event title: Between Policy and Practice: Research Students on Ethical AI Use
  • Event date: Wednesday 27 May 2026
  • Event Venue: Warwick campus, Coventry (detailed location to be shared with registered participants)
  • Event time: 1.30-4.00pm

What this workshop is about

UK universities are rapidly developing AI guidelines, but how do research students actually understand, use, and navigate these policies in their day-to-day work? This workshop brings together research students to examine real-world scenarios, share peer perspectives, and reflect collectively on what ethical AI use looks like in practice. There are no right answers. We are interested in how research students make sense of these issues in their everyday academic work.

This is not a workshop about

• • What AI/LLMs are or how they work
  • How to use specific GenAI tools

Workshop agenda

Wednesday 27 May 2026
1:30 – 2:00 pm	Arrival, registration and coffee
2:00 – 2:45 pm	The institutional landscape: research findings. Key findings from our desktop analysis of UK university AI guidelines: Accepted vs unaccepted practices How to cite and declare AI use How to refine prompts & resources
2:45 – 3:00 pm	Comfort break with refreshments and snacks
3:00 – 4:00 pm	Defining ethical practice: structured peer discussion In small facilitated groups, you will work through scenarios and share your understanding of ethical AI use. What do institutional guidelines mean for your research? Where do they feel unclear or contested?

Who can attend

Eligible participants are:

• • Doctoral (PhD/professional doctorate) students
  • MPhil students
  • MRes students

How to take part

1. 1. Register - Complete the registration formLink opens in a new window to express your interest. Places are limited to 40 and will be confirmed by email on a first-come, first-served basis.
   2. Complete a short pre-workshop survey - you will receive a participant information sheet, an anonymous pre-workshop survey, and a calendar invitation by email.
   3. Attend and participate - sign a consent form on the day and take part in discussions. Participation in individual activities is voluntary — you may opt out of any topic you are not comfortable with.

A note on anonymity

Discussion data is collected anonymously. Because of this, you will not be able to withdraw your individual responses after the session. If you are uncomfortable with a topic, please feel free to step back from that activity. Full details are in the participant information sheet.

 

 

This project is funded by the Warwick Spotlight Small Grant Scheme - Behaviour This project runs January to June 2026

Who works on the project?

Principal Co-Investigators:

Evan Zheng, Department of Education Studies, University of Warwick, Evan.zheng@warwick.ac.uk 

Ran Deng, Department of Education Studies, University of Warwick
Ran dot Deng at warwick dot ac dot uk

Ying Guo, Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Ying.Guo.1@warwick.ac.uk