Introduction to Environmental Sustainability (21:375:215)

Plagiarism is defined as stealing and using the ideas of another as one's own.  In the academic world, this is considered a very serious charge and, for students, it can lead to dismissal, and, for faculty, it can result in the loss of one's job and/or one's standing in the profession.  When we discussed bibliographies as a test for a reliable information source, we expected the citations to be an accurate reflection of the item's content.  If they are not, how can we make an informed decision?  Plagiarism can be avoided by precision in citing your sources.  When in doubt, cite!

The use of generative AI in higher education is an evolving (and, if you ask me, fascinating) phenomenon. Here are some tips from this humble librarian:

• Your professor is the boss - consult your professor and syllabus for policies on the use of generative AI in coursework and assignments.

• Pitfalls of generative AI:
  • Beware of references cited by AI - these references are often completely fabricated and don't actually exist, even though they may sound legitimate.
  • Bland - lacking in human voice
  • Submitted a paper generated by AI is PLAGIARISM!

• Possible ethical uses of AI in higher education (again, your professor has the final word!)
  • Brainstorming - Generative AI can be helpful for brainstorming or narrowing a topic or for brainstorming search terms.
  • Improving tone - Generative AI is pretty good at changing the tone of your writing - i.e. "Here is a draft email, make it sound more personable and friendly" or "Here is a draft of my project proposal, make it sound more professional."
  • Organizing notes
  • Checking and improving grammar

As you gather your sources, compile your References section. Complete this section before you begin writing your paper! Why?

• This will ensure that you have copied down all the necessary citation components of your book, article, Web site, etc.
• It will make your life much easier when you need to do in-text citations since authors and dates are already neatly organized on your reference page.
• It decreases the chance that you'll include an in-text citation for a source, but then forget to include it within the reference section.

I. Directions for exporting references from the ProQuest Environmental Science Collection to EndNote Web:

• In the ProQuest Environmental Science Collection:
  • select references of interest
  • click the 'All save & exports options' button (green button with ellipsis)
  • select EndNote
  • save the file
• In EndNote Web:
  • under Collect, select Import References
    • Browse for the saved file
    • Import Option: ProQuest
    • To: select a group to place the references in
    • click Import

II. Directions for exporting references from the Academic Search Premier database to EndNote Web:

• In the Academic Search Premier database:
  • select references of interest (by clicking on blue folders on the right)
  • open the yellow Folder (on the upper-right of the page)
  • Select all (or a selection of items in the Folder)
  • click the Export button along the right panel
  • select Direct Export to EndNote Web
  • click the Save button
• In EndNote Web:
  • under References, open up the Unfiled group
  • Sort by: Added to Library – newest to oldest
  • select the appropriate references, then choose the appropriate group to move it to under the Add to group… pull-down menu

III. Directions for exporting references from the Scopus database to EndNote Web:

• In the Scopus database:
  • select references of interest
  • click the Export button near the top of the results
  • select EndNote (RIS)
    • Optional: select Abstract & Keywords and/or any other information you’re interested in
  • click the Export button
  • save the file
• In EndNote Web:
  • under Collect, select Import References
    • Browse for the saved file
    • Import Option: Scopus
    • To: select a group to place the references in
    • click Import