Counseling Psychology and School Psychology PhD Program AI Use Policy

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used only as limited editorial supports. They may not be used for thinking, learning, clinical reasoning, diagnostic formulation, synthesis, or scholarly judgment. Doctoral-level work requires independent intellectual engagement, disciplinary expertise, ethical decision-making, and original professional voice. Any use of AI that substitutes for these expectations constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Students are responsible for adhering to statewide and SUNY guidance on AI and should refrain from using any tools prohibited by UB and NYS.

Permitted AI Use (Editorial Only)

Students may use AI tools solely for surface-level editing after the substantive work is complete.

AI may function as an advanced copyeditor, not a collaborator or co-author.

Permitted uses include:

  • Spelling correction
  • Grammar and punctuation correction
  • Minor sentence-level clarity edits that do not alter meaning, structure, or content
  • Formatting assistance (e.g., APA 7th edition style, headings, spacing)
  • Review of tone, flow, or academic writing conventions
  • Accessibility-related formatting (e.g., headings, readability adjustments)

AI must not introduce new language that reflects analysis, interpretation, synthesis, or conceptual framing.

Prohibited AI Use (Academic Integrity Violation)

Use of AI for any of the following is strictly prohibited and will be treated as academic dishonesty:

  • Generating ideas, arguments, hypotheses, or thesis statements
  • Outlining or structuring responses to case studies or exam prompts
  • Rewriting, paraphrasing, or substantively editing student-generated content
  • Summarizing readings, theories, DSM criteria, or source materials
  • Conducting or assisting with literature reviews
  • Clinical conceptualization, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, or case formulation
  • Developing interventions, treatment plans, mechanisms of change, or recommendations
  • Ethical analysis or decision-making
  • Statistical interpretation, scoring, or coding responses
  • Generating examples, narratives, scripts, or clinical language
  • Creating or fabricating citations, references, or quotations
  • Any use that substitutes for student reasoning, synthesis, judgment, or scholarly voice

If AI contributes to the intellectual content in any way, the work is not considered the student’s own.

AI Use Disclosure Requirement (Mandatory)

Students must include an AI Use Disclosure Statement at the end of the written response (before references, if applicable).

Required Disclosure Language (Verbatim)

AI Disclosure: I used [Tool name and version] solely for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity editing. No AI tool was used to generate ideas, content, paraphrasing, analysis, interpretation, or citations. All intellectual work, synthesis, clinical reasoning, and scholarly judgment are my own. Failure to include this statement will be treated as undisclosed AI use.

AI Usage Log (Required)

Any AI use, however minimal, must be documented. AI use without a usage log constitutes academic dishonesty.

Students must submit an appendix or separate document including the following:

Date

Tool Used

Purpose

Sections Edited

Notes

Prompt Used

11/10/26

Example

Grammarly / ChatGPT (GPT-5)

Grammar & punctuation only

Introduction

Corrected tense and commas only

“Please check this paragraph for grammar and clarity only. Do not change ideas, sentence structure, or meaning.”

Citation of AI Tools (If Used)

If AI tools are used for permitted editorial purposes, they should be cited only in the appendix, not in the reference list, following APA guidance for non-generative assistance.

Example:

ChatGPT (GPT-5). (2025). Editing and grammar assistance for final draft [Large language model]. OpenAI.Violations and Consequences

Violations include, but are not limited to:

  • Content generation or rewriting
  • Paraphrasing or restructuring substantive text
  • Fabricated or AI-generated citations
  • Undisclosed or hidden AI use
  • Missing, incomplete, or inaccurate AI usage logs

Consequences may include grade reduction, assignment failure, required remediation, or formal academic integrity action. In cases of unauthorized AI use, we are required, as faculty, to report the incident to the Academic Integrity Office.