Articles published in peer-reviewed or refereed journals have been through a formal approval process. An editor and one or more subject specialists review the article before it is accepted for publication. This process is intended to ensure that the article is accurate, well-researched, and contributes to the body of knowledge in the field.

Primo Search and some Journal Databases include an option to limit your search to scholarly or peer-reviewed articles, and some other databases include this information as part of an article record. While this is an indication that the article could be peer-reviewed, the definitive way to find out is to use Ulrichsweb Global Periodicals Directory. You can access this database from the Library's list of U-databases.

Generative AI tools have access to a vast amount of information and can certainly provide information about authoritative sources for different study topics. However, it is important to note that not all the information provided by the model may be accurate or up-to-date. It is always a good idea to verify any information provided by these tools with multiple sources and to consider the credibility of the source before using it for research or academic purposes.

To find authoritative sources, you can ask things like:

• Can you give me some reputable sources for information on [topic]?
• What are some well-known journals or books on [topic]?
• Who are some experts or researchers in the field of [topic]?

For many topics, new authors, articles or books may have been published in recent years. You will miss key information if you rely solely on their recommendations.

Just a word of warning, references generated by ChatGPT 3.0 and earlier are not real. Try using ChatGPT4 through Bing. It gives you real references.

Just be aware of the risks associated with using AI tools. As outlined, think about academic integrity, plagiarism, inaccurate content, intellectual property and privacy concerns.

The type of domain provides you a hint as to the reliability of the website at which you are looking.

If you find a .com or .net site that you think is ok, look at the currency, reliability, authority and purpose to see if your suspicion is supported by evidence.

Have you been asked to use Generative AI Tools (GAITs) in your assessment? Or are you thinking of using GAITs for research and study? 

Make sure you are aware of the risks associated with using GAITs:

• Academic integrity
• Plagiarism
• Inaccurate content
• Intellectual property
• Privacy concerns.

For more information see:

Microsoft Copilot

You have access to Microsoft Copilot's secure enterprise version while studying at Charles Sturt. This means your data is protected when using the secure version of Copilot via a student account, hence your data isn't retained or used for training the genAI. To find out how to access, head over to Charles Sturt's Microsoft Copilot page.