ChatGPT’s generation of fake citations and the implications for students, research publishing: Day

In a recent article published in The Professional Geographer, Okanagan College Professor Terence Day shares the results of a preliminary investigation into fake citations and references generated by ChatGPT. Day found that the ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot tended to generate fake academic citations and references through a predictive process rather than citing real sources. This has implications for several parts of the sector, including the publishing process–where Day notes journal editors will need to be vigilant about the quality and accuracy of articles that were developed with ChatGPT–and student academic integrity, where this fake citation tendency provides one method of identifying student misuse of the chatbot. The author concludes that enthusiasm about the chatbot should be “tempered with a more nuanced and cautious approach” to its usage in teaching and learning.