Guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the work on the

master's thesis at the School of Economics and Business NMBU

academic year 23/24.
Version 1.0 recommended by the Study Committee on November 15 and approved by the dean on
November 27, 2023

1. It is possible to make use of AI in the work on the master's thesis, but this is voluntary and not a
requirement in the academic year 2023/24. Any use of AI must be in accordance with the guidelines
described below.

2. Generative AI such as Bing or ChatGPT can be used as a tool. Other AI tools, such as Elicit and
Grammarly, which are not used to generate text, can also be used.

3. The student is responsible for quality assurance to ensure that AI-generated information is reliable
and accurate. Students are expected to actively follow academic standards for accountability and
transparency by clearly indicating when and how such texts are used. Students should also describe how
AI information is fact-checked. Therefore, texts generated by AI should not be used as the only source for
information. The student should critically evaluate the results of AI tools to ensure that they are
research-based.

4. If AI is used in the master's thesis, the students must explain its uses, including the main features of
the prompt process with the choice of platform and examples of the questions asked. This report is
placed in a separate sub-chapter or section in the thesis, for example in the method chapter.

5. In the writing of the master's thesis, it may be appropriate to use AI as a tool in, for example,
generating ideas in the start-up phase. Furthermore, AI can be used in proofreading and language
cleaning in the final phase of the writing process.

6. AI used in literature searches may provide fictitious sources. Sources should be referenced with page
references as far as possible. Against this background, such tools are not recommended as the only
source for exhaustive literature searches. Instead, the subscription databases that students have free
access to through the library are recommended, for example Web of Science, Scopus and Econlit.

7. The supervisor for the master's thesis is responsible for thematizing the use of AI and can give advice
on the constructive and critical use of AI as well as contributing to good academic craftsmanship.

8. The student is responsible for familiarizing himself with NMBU's regulations for plagiarism: Permitted
aids, write and cite - avoid cheating and plagiarism | NMBU where it is clearly stated that exams and
assignments must be the student's own work: "If text is copied from other sources, the students get
others to write the text for themselves, or use e.g. Chat GPT or other AI without stating the source, this
is considered an attempt to cheat." The result can be cancellation of the master's thesis and expulsion
from the university.

9. Given that the student has the possibility to use AI in the master's thesis, the oral defense of the thesis
becomes even more important. Thus, it is crucial that the students can explain the theory and methods
that they used and can reflect on the processes by giving examples.