The honest line

The clearest test is this: could you stand in front of your supervisor and explain how you used AI, with no fear? If yes, you are on the right side of the line. If you would want to hide it, stop.

Honest help looks like:

• Asking AI to explain a hard paper in simpler words
• Brainstorming possible angles for your topic
• Asking it to check your grammar on text you wrote
• Asking it to suggest where your argument is weak

Cheating looks like:

• Pasting an AI essay into your dissertation as if you wrote it
• Asking AI to write whole sections and not changing them
• Using AI sources without reading or checking them
• Hiding your AI use when your university asks you to disclose it

The difference is not the tool. It is whether the thinking and the words are truly yours.

Practice

Make two short lists in your notes: three ways you might use AI honestly in your dissertation, and three ways that would cross the line. Keep them where you can see them as you work.