Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, are large language models (LLMs) meant to predict text. They are trained on a large dataset of internet sources and analyze text to predict what word will likely come next.
Library databases are collections of published resources (academic journals, newspapers, reports, magazines, eBooks, etc.) stored and indexed for searching.
The two are very different systems designed to do different things. GenAI, by its nature, was not designed to research. So when you ask a GenAI tool to do so, it often creates fake citations called hallucinations because it has been programmed to respond rather than be accurate.
GenAI can be an effective tool for assisting with research preparation (generating keywords, formatting citations, etc.) and writing. It should not be used as a substitute for a research database or tool.
The following strategies can be used to verify whether a citation generated by a GenAI tool is legitimate. You may need to use a combination of the strategies below to decide.
We recommend starting your search for a citation in the order provided below. If the citation is correct and available in the library, you can move on to critically evaluating the resource to ensure it supports the content you are creating.
If you've reached the last step and still have not found the source, your citation is likely a hallucination and not real.
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