Guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence by students at the ELTE Faculty of Economics

I. General principles

1. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) at the ELTE Faculty of Economics may only happen matching the educational purposes, and within the framework of the university and faculty regulations and guidelines, while maintaining academic integrity and data security. 
2. In each case, it is up to the student to decide whether or not to use AI in their studies and which application to use. If the use of a particular system requires prior registration, the registration is at the student's risk. 
3. The use of AI can support student learning, research and task planning, but it cannot replace human creativity, decision-making and analytical skills. It can support student work as an assistant or study partner in project assignments and theses, but cannot replace independent student work.
4. The most basic requirement when using AI is that the content generated must only be used legally, ethically and avoiding possible risks – for which the student is responsible. In order to understand the operations and limitations of AI and to extend digital literacy, the Faculty provides training, recommendations and guidelines for students and teachers.
5. The use of AI must be in compliance with the relevant legal and institutional regulations, in particular with regard to data protection regulations (GDPR) and university ethical standards. If the student wishes to use AI in his/her academic work, he/she undertakes to act in accordance with these regulations and acknowledges that any deviation from them may lead to consequences under the ELTE Academic Regulations for Students and the Faculty's rules.

II. The use of AI in student work

1. AI systems may only be used to enhance learning and knowledge. The use of AI should not reduce the importance of students' independent work.
2. The use of AI tools can help to personalise educational materials, organise information and process scientific resources more efficiently.
3. The use of AI does not exempt students from their individual research and learning obligations. AI can support literature search, but interpretation and analysis remain the responsibility of the student.
4. The use of AI in examinations and assessments is strictly forbidden, unless the task is explicitly based on knowledge and application of AI.

III. Plagiarism and academic integrity

1. ELTE Faculty of Economics is committed to maintaining academic integrity, and therefore the use of the AI must not result in violation of copyright and the University Code of Ethics, or of other requirements of the academic best 0070ractice as set out in the Faculty's policies and guidelines.
2. The adoption of all or part of AI-generated content is considered plagiarism if the student does not clearly indicate that they have used AI-generated material. The basic academic rules on plagiarism are set out in the Student Requirements Framework, and detailed guidance on their interpretation is provided in the Faculty's Literature and Reference Requirements (2.2).
3. The unmarked reproduction of text, figures or tables generated by artificial intelligence is plagiarism, which is subject strict sanctions tounder the Student Reqirements Framework, which may vary based on the severeness of the infringement. In the most serious cases of plagiarism, the essay must be declared unmarkable and refused a grade [Academic Regulations for Students 74/C(1)].
4. The unmarked use of the AI is also an ethical violation, which, if intentional, violates the requirements of Section 7 of the Code of Ethics of Eötvös Loránd University and may result in legal action under the Code.
5. In order to enforce the rules on plagiarism, the Faculty may investigate the compliance of student work with these Guidelines (including software AI detection applications), and will take the necessary measures in case of non-compliance. 

IV. Data protection and confidentiality

1. When using AI, students are required to comply with the data protection and data management rules, in particular with regard to the University's data protection and legal requirements (GDPR).
2. AI should not be used to process or share personal data or confidential information. The use of the AI should not compromise the privacy of students, Faculty and other stakeholders.
3. Students and Faculty members of the University are prohibited from using the AI to process or make any sensitive data or trade secret documents available to third parties.
4. When using AI, it is prohibited to upload any data or information that may infringe the rights of third parties or incur legal liability.
5. The Privacy Policy of ELTE, Code of Ethics and other standards on the ethical use of AI for apply to all students and faculty members.

V. Documenting the use of AI in student work

1. The use of AI for all scientific and scholarly work must be properly documented. Students should indicate precisely, which AI tool has been used, for what purpose and how it influenced the final form of the work.
2. When completing project assignments and theses, students sign the Declaration of Acceptance, which is part of the template provided, to indicate their acceptance of the faculty's rules for the use of AI. They declare that they have informed themselves responsibly about the capabilities and limitations of the AI systems used, ensuring their proper application, that they are aware that they are responsible as authors of the work for the information and statements contained therein, and that they are aware that any violation of the rules of using and documenting AI usage constitutes plagiarism, and consequences according to the ELTE Academic Regulations for Students this may lead to (see section III.3 of these Guidelines).
3. The use of artificial intelligence within the framework of these Guidelines is permitted at all stages of the preparation of a thesis. A table should be included in the project assignment/thesis template to indicate the fact of use in a summary manner for each section (area of usage – AI system used – description of how it is used and how it complies with good scientific practice, if necessary, separately for each section of the work). 
4. The fact that the AI was used to the text should be indicated in each part of the text in the form of APA citation, especially if the MI contributed substantially to the preparation of the material.
5. Reference to AI in the Bibliography is unnecessary: according to the Literature and Citation Requirements AI generated content does not qualify as a source (a copyrighted work of individual originality created by human intellect).
6. The origin of the figures produced by the AI and tables should be indicated according to the Literature and Citation Requirements (4.1.6). If the student has used an AI application in the production of the figure or table, it should be referred to in both the template table and the in-text reference according to the above rules. 

VI. Supported cases for the ethical use of AI

1. Topic selection and research project preparation
   AI can help identify relevant research areas and questions, identify preliminary topics and help structure the research plan.
2. Understanding and clarifying the task
   AI can be used to interpret academic tasks, clarify the requirements and find examples or analogies for the tasks.
3. Overcoming writer's block, gathering inspiration
   AI can generate creative ideas, suggest new perspectives and help to start thinking if one gets stuck in the process of writing a paper.
4. Explanation and correct use of terms
   AI can help to make sense of technical terms and theories, especially when dealing with complex or cross-disciplinary topics.
5. Translation and language clarification
   AI can support the understanding of literature in a foreign language, help proofread texts and improve the style of academic writing.
6. Search and organise literature sources
   AI can support finding relevant scientific articles, studies and resources, as well as the thematic classification of them.
7. Drafting outlines and designing the structure
   AI can help plan the logical structure of an essay or research paper, putting chapters and sub-chapters in a logical order.
8. Preparing data for analysis
   AI can support the initial stages of data processing, for example in organising data, developing preliminary analysis strategies.
9. Bibliography and consolidation of sources
   AI can help to format references in a consistent way, prepare a bibliography and to classify sources appropriately.
10. Editing and final proofreading
    AI can help improve the language and style of the essay, detect spelling mistakes and improve readability.
11. Making a presentation
    AI can help to compile presentation material, organise slides logically and optimise visual presentation.

Summary

The ELTE Faculty of Economics aims to use AI in a regulated and transparent way in its teaching and student assignments. AI tools can support students' studies, but should not replace individual academic and creative work. The Faculty is committed to continuously reviewing and expanding the possibilities to use AI, and will update the present (v01.2025.03.08) Guidelines as often as possible.

Budapest, 8 March 2025.

Appendix

The order of using the declaration included in the template, filling the table documenting AI usage and referencing: