| Researcher Role Profile - Quick Links |
|---|
| Responsible and Ethical Use |
| Core A.I. Literacy |
| Role-Specific A.I. Literacy |
As artificial intelligence continues to redefine the boundaries of inquiry and innovation, researchers across disciplines are uniquely positioned to explore, critique, and advance its development and application.
This section of the AI Framework is designed specifically for researchers—providing strategic insights, ethical frameworks, and methodological guidance to support your engagement with AI in both theoretical and applied contexts. Whether you're integrating AI into your research, examining its societal impact, or contributing to its evolution, this resource aims to empower your work with clarity and confidence.
Responsible and Ethical Use
AI is reshaping the research landscape, offering powerful tools for analysis, discovery, and innovation. For researchers, the responsible and ethical use of AI involves more than technical proficiency—it requires a critical awareness of how AI influences research practices, data integrity, and scholarly communication. Embracing ethical AI use is essential to maintaining trust, transparency, and rigour in the pursuit of knowledge.
Legal, Regulatory and Policy Awareness and Compliance
Baseline
Demonstrate awareness of, and use AI in accordance with, university policies including data protection and privacy, approved AI tools and and academic standards
Established
Participate in departmental initiatives to effect AI policy implementation and compliance and model compliance practices to colleagues.
Innovative
Contribute to the development or refinement of AI policies at institutional and/or HE sector level.
Supporting Resources
Guidance for Swansea University Researchers on Generative AI
This guide provides a useful overview of Gen AI as it related to research and innovation at Swansea University.
Swansea University Guidance on Artificial Intelligence
Swansea University's guidance on artificial intelligence tools aims to inform and reassure staff and students about the evolving role of AI in education.
Microsoft Copilot: What AI service does the University recommend?
This Knowledge Base article from Digital Services identifies why CoPilot is the recommended AI tool for staff at Swansea University.
Using AI through a Critical Lens
Baseline
Understand the limitations of GenAI output, including bias and inaccuracies, and apply a "human filter" to review and edit the output before use.
Established
Establish, use and share strategies to mitigate against AI limitations including producing frameworks and strategies to develop criticality in colleagues.
Innovative
Conduct research that interrogates the societal, cultural, and epistemological implications of AI in knowledge creation and/or develop or advocate for frameworks that embed critical theory into AI design, deployment, and evaluation.
Supporting Resources
UKRIO Infographic – Tips for Using Generative AI Like a Scientist
This infographic is a handy visual guide on applying good research principles to the use of Generative AI.
National Institutes of Health - Generative AI Use Toolkit
This toolkit from the National Institutes of Health in the US contains useful guidelines for colleagues to evaluate the appropriateness of AI use on a task by task basis along with how output can be verified.
Acknowledging and Referencing AI Use
Baseline
Show awareness of the importance to acknowledge AI outputs and demonstrate basic referencing practices, such as in-text citations, reference lists and declaration of use statements.
Established
Maintain detailed records of AI tool usage, including versioning, prompts, and outputs, to ensure reproducibility and transparency.
Innovative
Contributes to the development of new citation standards or metadata frameworks for AI-generated content.
Supporting Resources
Swansea University's “Lib Answers” resource provides guidance on referencing AI in four different styles:
Lib Answers – Referencing AI in APA Style
Lib Answers – Referencing AI in OSCOLA Style
Lib Answers – Referencing AI in MHRA Style
Lib Answers – Referencing AI in Vancouver Style
Core A.I Literacy
In a research environment, AI is not just a tool—it’s a transformative force reshaping methodologies, data analysis, and knowledge production. Core AI literacy for researchers means understanding the principles behind AI systems, recognizing their global impact, and developing the skills to interact with them effectively in navigating the evolving research landscape.
Understanding AI and its functions
Baseline
Demonstrate a general awareness of common AI tools and their functions.
Established
Access institutional tools and use their basic functionality.
Innovative
Purposefully select and combine different AI tools in more advanced contexts.
Supporting Resources
JISC – Generative AI: A Primer
A useful starting point to learn about Generative AI and all the ways in which it impacts the education sector.
Microsoft Copilot Guide
This quick-start SALT guide to Microsoft Copilot, the University's recommended Gen AI tool, includes where to find Copilot, basic functions, different applications and other considerations including effective and responsible use and academic integrity.
Microsoft Copilot: What AI service does the University recommend?
This Knowledge Base article from Digital Services identifies why CoPilot is the recommended AI tool for staff at Swansea University.
Being aware of the global role and impact of AI
Baseline
Understand that AI has global impact, both positive and negative, in economies, labour markets, education, social structures and environmentally.
Established
Incorporate global perspectives and diverse datasets to ensure inclusivity and fairness in AI-driven research.
Innovative
Conduct research that critically examines the geopolitical, cultural, and environmental impacts of AI.
Supporting Resources
World Economic Forum – Transformation Maps – Artificial Intelligence
The WEF’s transformation maps can help you explore and make sense of the connections between different global issues, including how artificial intelligence links with climate impact, geopolitics and workforce transformation.
Prompt Engineering
Baseline
Use simple, direct prompts to generate relevant and useful outputs.
Established
Design structured, multi-step prompts to achieve specific outcomes including iteratively refining such prompts for accuracy, tone and inclusivity.
Innovative
Develop and share prompt engineering frameworks or templates for specific use cases.
Supporting Resources
SALT Microsoft Copilot Guide
This quick-start SALT guide to Microsoft Copilot, the University's recommended Gen AI tool, includes some suggestions and quick links to resources on how to write effective AI prompts.
Microsoft Learn: Craft effective prompts for Microsoft 365 Copilot
This learning path from Microsoft provides guidance and suggested practice on writing effective AI prompts to save time, effort and get the results to suit your needs.
Video Tutorial: Use Copilot's Prompt Gallery
This video tutorial covers how to use the Prompt Gallery to explore, customise, and reuse prompts that help you brainstorm, analyse, and create with ease.
Copilot tutorial: What makes a good prompt?
This video tutorial outlines helpful tips on how to define, contextualise, and craft detailed prompts for optimal results.
Copilot Tutorial: Quick tips for better prompts
This video tutorial expands further on prompt-use by exploring how you can refine your prompts for clearer requests and smoother collaboration.
Role-Specific A.I Literacy
In today’s research landscape, AI is not only a tool for discovery but also a factor reshaping how research is conducted, communicated, and managed. Role-specific AI literacy for researchers involves understanding how to uphold research integrity when using AI, applying AI meaningfully within specific disciplines, and leveraging it to improve efficiency in administrative and project-related tasks. Developing these competencies enables researchers to ensure that AI is used in ways that are rigorous, ethical, and aligned with disciplinary standards.
Demonstrating Research Integrity
Baseline
Understand the authorship implications of using AI tools in research and disclose their use (e.g. for writing assistance, data analysis) in research outputs and publications.
Established
Develop and follow clear protocols for documenting AI involvement in research workflows.
Innovative
Take a leading role in the development of institutional or wider standards for ethical AI use in research.
Supporting Resources
UK Research Integrity Office – Embracing AI with Integrity
This resource supports researchers in using AI tools responsibly – whether for writing assistance, data analysis, prediction, or other research tasks. It responds to growing concerns about AI’s impact on research integrity and offers practical advice to help researchers uphold ethical standards and good research practice.
The JISC AI in Research Community
A professional network which aims to share and shape the role of AI in professional research.
Using AI in specific disciplines
Baseline
Show awareness of how AI tools and applications can positively influence practice in your area of expertise.
Established
Integrate responsible and ethical AI methods into research design and methodology with discipline-specific rigour.
Innovative
Pioneer novel AI applications or methodologies in your area of expertise and/or influence discourse on the future of AI in your discipline.
Supporting Resources
Microsoft Scenario Library
This resource from Microsoft identifies applications for AI in a wide range of different professional disciplines.
Using AI to drive efficiency in administrative tasks
Baseline
Use basic AI functions to save time and ease workload where appropriate.
Established
Share time-saving AI practices with colleagues and actively contribute to improving departmental efficiency.
Innovative
Lead on the implementation of AI-driven systems to optimise departmental academic workflows.
Supporting Resources
University of South Carolina – Using AI for Process Improvement
This resource from the Office of Organizational Excellence at the University of South Carolina includes several ideas for using AI to improve administrative efficiency and change management.
Microsoft Learn – Use AI for Everyday Tasks
A free online short course (approx. 45 mins) with ideas for using AI to streamline basic tasks.
