Kohima: Nagaland University recently hosted an offline workshop for 120 PhD scholars to address the ethical use of artificial intelligence in academic research. The training, titled Ethical Adoption of AI Tools in Research: Navigating Books, Journals and Scholarly Communication, operated under the NU Start-Up Project 2024-26. Principal Investigator Dr. Chanlang Ki Bareh spearheaded the initiative at the Central Library.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jagadish K. Patnaik attended as chief guest. He recalled his own early research days in the 1990s at Queen's University, where scholars relied on physical catalogue cards and 40 MB computers. Modern tools offer speed, but they also bring complex ethical hurdles. Patnaik noted, "Modern AI tools offered speed and convenience but also raised ethical questions, including how to interpret similarity reports and distinguish acceptable from unacceptable uses of AI."
Deputy Librarian Dr. T. Temjen delivered the keynote address. He urged scholars to maintain caution, specifically warning against inaccurate AI responses and fake citations. Technical demonstrations followed, led by Dr. Bareh. He showcased research tools including SciSpace, Elicit, Litmaps, Research Rabbit, Gemini, ChatGPT, and QuillBot. Information Scientist Er. Ochenstungba Ozukum also helped participants register for the university-provided QuillBot premium service.
The training covered the entire research lifecycle. Dr. Bareh outlined how to use these tools for brainstorming and data analysis without crossing professional lines. He warned that uploading unpublished materials remains strictly prohibited. Excessive reliance on software threatens to dull a researcher's critical thinking. Assistant Professor Dr. Gyati Yam and Semi-Professional Assistant Jailei Konyak assisted with the event. All 120 attendees received certificates after an interactive discussion.
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