Generative AI tools like ChatGPT or CoPilot can do amazing things, but they are not search engines. They are text generators that are programed to give an answer. Their datasets don’t always use current or correct information. Be critical of the information that the tools give you. For example, ChatGPT uses much of reddit as part of its training set - not the most impartial or accurate source on the internet!
ChatGPT and other generative AI applications are notorious for inventing information. These inventions are called "hallucinations." Hallucinations usually happen when the AI can't find the specific information you’ve asked for. Instead of telling you it can't find something, the AI tool will just make something up. It does so with total confidence which means it can be tricky to tell real information from fake.
It is important for anyone incorporating AI into their research process to verify the information and sources they are being given.
First, you should locate and access the full text of the citations you find and read them. This is the simplest way to ensure your citation and information is real. For statistics and data, read the original publication. For scientific or medical claims, you should consult the original research study.
How to check if a citation is real:
Search for the citations.
1a. Search for the author and title in non-AI search engines (Google Scholar, PubMed, CINAHL etc).
And/Or
1b. Try searching for the title with quotes around it. Searching with quotes will search the exact phrase.
2. After searching, look at the results. Do the searches find exact matches to your citation?
If the exact citation does not appear in your searches, that is a warning sign that it might not be real.
3. Repeat this process for all citations.
How to check if AI generated concepts or claims are real:
Cross reference with reputable sources.
1. Identify the main concepts or specific claims of what you are reading.
2. Next, search for the claims in a non-AI resource. (Such as Google Scholar, PubMed, CINAHL, etc). In the results list, look for additional sources that support the claim.
3. Look at those sources and analyze what they say.
Is the information in the same context? Do you have a real claim attributed to a fake author? Are there inconsistencies in the information? How old is the information?
5. Make a judgement.
What is true? Is anything misleading? What is correct?
6. Repeat this process for all claims.
If you need help verifying information or sources, don’t be embarrassed to ask a librarian for help.
