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AI Use Disclosure Decision Helper

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About This MicroSim

A general principle such as "disclose substantive AI use" is hard to act on until it is written as specific rules and tried on real cases. This MicroSim gives you a five-rule lab policy and asks you to apply it to eight scenarios from an electrical engineering project. The policy is an illustrative lab policy, not a real venue's policy. Real journal, conference, and institutional policies differ and change, so read the current author guidelines of each venue at submission time.

Rule Statement
1 Text drafted or substantially rewritten by an AI tool that appears in a submitted manuscript is disclosed in the paper.
2 AI use to generate or analyze data, code, or figures that contribute to reported results is disclosed in the paper, with the tool and version.
3 Grammar, spelling, and formatting assistance does not need to be disclosed.
4 AI use for brainstorming or literature search that does not appear in the paper is recorded in the project log only.
5 An AI system is never listed as an author.

For each scenario you choose one of four actions: Disclose in the paper, Record in the project log only, No disclosure needed, or Not permitted. The policy has gradations on purpose, so that you separate a disclosure in the paper from a project log entry and from no record at all. After the eighth scenario the sim assembles a draft disclosure statement from the scenarios that required disclosure in the paper. The draft is illustrative and is not legal advice: the tool name, model version, and date of use are left as placeholders to fill in from your project log.

Learning objective: apply a five-rule illustrative lab disclosure policy to eight scenarios of AI use and give the required action for each, with at least 7 of 8 correct.

How to Use

  1. Read the policy at the top and scenario 1 in the dark-blue box. The question on screen is What does the policy require here?
  2. Choose an action from the drop-down list below the drawing area and press Submit. Each scenario has one attempt, and the answer cannot be changed after you submit it.
  3. Read the feedback. A correct answer shows Correct. with a check mark; an incorrect answer shows The policy gives the required action, with an X. Both show the rule number and the reason, and the matching rule is outlined and marked with an arrow in the policy.
  4. Press Next Scenario to continue. The scenarios come in a fixed order.
  5. After scenario 8, press See Score. The summary shows n of 8 correct, whether you met the mastery threshold of 7, and a draft disclosure statement built from the scenarios that required disclosure in the paper. Reload the page to start again.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/ai-for-ee-research/sims/ai-use-disclosure-decision-helper/main.html"
        height="782px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Learning Objective

The learner will apply a five-rule illustrative lab disclosure policy to eight scenarios of AI use and give the required action for each, with at least 7 of 8 correct.

Bloom Level

Apply (Bloom verb: apply)

Grade Level

Graduate students (MS and PhD) in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer design, plus postdocs and faculty who want practical AI skills for everyday research

Duration

10 minutes

Prerequisites

  • AI disclosure, citation of AI use, and authorship policy, from the section "Integrity, Disclosure, and Authorship" of Chapter 18
  • The audit trail from Chapter 17

Common Misconceptions Addressed

  • Only AI-written text needs disclosure.
  • If AI was used heavily, it can be listed as an author.
  • Any use at all must be disclosed in the paper.

Evidence of Mastery

  • For each of the eight scenarios the learner commits one of the four actions. An action is correct when it equals the action the stated policy gives.
  • Mastery is at least 7 of 8 correct on the first attempt.
  • Reading the policy is exploration and is not evidence of mastery.

References

  1. Chapter 18: Responsible and Ethical Use of AI - the section "Integrity, Disclosure, and Authorship" defines AI disclosure, citation of AI use, and authorship policy. The policy and scenarios in this MicroSim are invented for illustration.