Nothing happens quickly in academia. It takes universities an entire year to hire new faculty. Deciding to add a new course to the curriculum can take even longer. And when it comes to technology, instructors and administrators can be incredibly resistant to accepting change.
Mendeley makes for a great illustration. There's nothing particularly suspicious about this program. In fact, when it's used correctly, it can make life easier for students and teachers alike. There's no getting around it, though: it is “artificial intelligence,” and that phrase has taken on some scary connotations on college campuses.
You really can't use Mendeley to cheat. Unfortunately, at some schools, using it can get you charged anyway. Once you're charged, you can't be sure where an investigation and hearing might wind up.
If you've been charged with academic misconduct over Mendeley, some other AI, or plain old-fashioned copying off your neighbor's paper, the Lento Law Firm can help. Our Student Defense Team has worked with hundreds of students, and we know how your school's disciplinary processes and procedures work. You can count on us to use our experience and every resource at our disposal to get you the best possible resolution to your case.
First, though, you have to contact us. Call 888-535-3686 to find out how we can help, or take time right now to tell us about your case.
What Mendeley Can and Can't Do
Mendeley performs a variety of powerful functions that can make life easier for researchers. At its heart, it is a research organizer, allowing users to drag and drop PDF files and even whole folders full of files into a single database. That database is then accessible from anywhere as long as you have an online connection.
In addition, Mendeley allows users to organize files, and AI functions help to simplify that process. The program can, for example, read through a text and come up with an appropriate file title. It can also sort files based on whether or not they've been read. Undergraduates may find its citation generator especially useful.
Unlike other AI programs—ChatGPT, for instance, ChatPDF, and Quillbot- Mendeley doesn't produce text. While you can use the program to read, highlight, and even annotate articles, the only original content it produces is citations, and "original" in this case is limited. Citations simply organize existing data according to a bibliographic system like APA.
The trouble is, not all faculty are up-to-date on Mendeley. You can understand why AI programs pop up every day, and it's difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with all the latest technology. Most instructors know next to nothing about Mendeley and similar programs. The one thing they do know, the one thing they hear over and over, is that AI makes it easier for students to cheat. That means any AI, even one as useful and non-threatening as Mendeley, is suspect.
The evolution of AI detectors like GPTZero and Turnitin AI has only exacerbated the problem. These programs promise to detect AI usage through sophisticated algorithms. Unfortunately, they've been known to flag Mendeley citations. Once one of these detectors flags part of your paper, it's up to the instructor to decide whether your usage is legitimate or some form of academic misconduct. All too often, faculty err on the side of caution, and students wind up accused of cheating over nothing more than a proper parenthetical citation.
Citation Sticklers
It is worth pointing out that there are instructors so far behind the technology curve that citation generation may seem like cheating. To be absolutely clear: Mendeley cannot write your paper for you. It can't solve math equations. It won't even suggest paper topics. However, if a professor believes that memorizing bibliographic formats is an essential part of your education, they may feel like you're taking a shortcut when you use Mendeley.
Most instructors reject this notion. Citation generators have been available from several online sites for over a decade. Insisting students learn the rules of MLA formatting feels a bit like insisting students learn how to use slide rules.
While such attitudes might be unreasonable, you should know that they're out there in certain undisturbed corners of the university. You can stay on the right side of any potential violation by asking yourself the purpose of an assignment. If you think an AI program is doing something for you that your instructor wants you to learn how to do for yourself, you might want to rethink using that program.
Responding to a Charge
The bottom line is that, right or wrong, students are being charged with academic misconduct over Mendeley. The most important question, then, is how you avoid a charge.
- Know the rules: It's never a bad idea to flip through your school's Student Code of Conduct. Usually, you'll find definitions of cheating, plagiarism, and all other forms of misconduct. You'll find individual professors' rules listed in their course syllabi.
- Ask: An even better approach? Ask your instructors. Tell them you use Mendeley, take the time to explain the program if you need to, and see what they think. They'll let you know in clear terms whether or not it's allowed. And just asking will let them know that you take academic integrity seriously.
If, despite all these precautions, you are still charged with academic misconduct, there are ways to minimize the damage and give yourself a fighting chance at a successful defense.
Take the situation seriously, but don't panic. Any time you overreact to a misconduct charge, there's a chance you may damage your defense. Your school has policies in place designed to protect your rights and give you a fair chance to demonstrate your innocence. Let the system work.
Then, contact the Lento Law Firm. We can make sure you say and do the right things, and from the moment you're charged, we can work with you to begin building a strong defense.
Trust the Lento Law Firm
There are thousands of lawyers out there, but if your college or university has accused you of some form of misconduct, a local attorney just isn't going to know enough about your situation to adequately protect you. You need someone who is familiar with school judicial procedures, someone who has represented student clients, someone who understands exactly how tech issues are playing out on campus.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team understands what you're up against and just what the stakes are in an academic misconduct case. We know how your school operates, and we can make sure you're prepared for whatever you have to face.
To find out more about how we can help, call 888-535-3686 today, or take time right now to fill out our online form.
