At UBC, substantive AI use needs the approval of your supervisor and committee, and your thesis Preface has to address AI either way. If you used generative AI, the Preface says how. If you didn't, it says that. Grammar and transcription tools are treated differently, though UBC still wants you to discuss them with your supervisor.
UBC's Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies gives this starting point on its thesis formatting page: “If you wish to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) such as ChatGPT in the research, drafting of and/or the preparation of your thesis or dissertation, you must discuss this with your supervisor before doing so.” Its GenAI page calls the decision an academic one, made between you and the people who evaluate the work, and it describes that guidance as preliminary.
On drafting, the GenAI page says that with the approval of your supervisor and committee, you may use GenAI tools to get started on thesis content. It also says that any use has to add to your own intellectual contribution and can't take its place.
The formatting page says: “If you use GenAI in creating your thesis or dissertation, the Preface must include a concise description of how it was used. If it was not used, you must include a statement to that effect in the Preface.” The rule covers the research, the drafting, and the preparation of the thesis, so a tool used on your data counts as well as a tool used on your chapters.
| Your situation | What UBC asks for |
|---|---|
| You used no generative AI in any part of the work | A clear statement saying so |
| You used GenAI in the research, the drafting, or the preparation | A concise description of how in the Preface, plus citations in the text that show which passages it helped create |
| You used only editorial or transcription tools | The guidance doesn't settle this, so ask your supervisor whether to mention them |
We found none. When we read the GenAI page, its link for thesis guidelines on citing AI use was marked as still to be determined. Ask your program whether it has a format, and keep your description plain: the tool, the stage of the work, and what the tool did.
UBC treats editorial use differently: “Students can normally assume that the use of AI tools for editorial (i.e. grammar, flow) and transcription purposes are broadly acceptable.” It still asks you to discuss those tools with your supervisor, because norms differ by discipline and because they raise ethical and intellectual property questions. Anything substantive, meaning non-editorial, needs approval from whoever evaluates the work.
UBC's rule is broad: “Use of GenAI tools and outputs in your work must always be cited, with the exception of standard editorial uses (grammar checking, organization, flow) on student-generated work. This applies to both drafts submitted for review, and final products.” It also asks you to make clear which sections or passages were created with a tool's help, and how far that help went.
Text that came entirely from a tool has to be quoted and cited like any other source. If you reworked a first draft from a tool, or used one to search for sources or ideas, you have to say so. For a thesis, UBC says literal output without such citations would be plagiarism, so if a chapter you are about to send to your supervisor contains such material, add the citation first.
A citation doesn't replace approval. UBC says unapproved use, even when appropriately cited, “may legitimately result in changes being required to the work, the student’s work not being approved for defense, or other actions in accordance with current policies on academic misconduct”. UBC also encourages graduate programs to set their own parameters, so read your program handbook along with the central page.
This example is made up. A master's student in education uses an AI transcription tool for twelve interviews and no other AI tool. The Preface rule speaks of generative AI in the research and preparation of the thesis, while UBC calls transcription tools broadly acceptable and outside the focus of its guidance. The student can't tell from the page alone which sentence the Preface needs: a statement that no generative AI was used, or a short description of the tool. The sensible step is to ask the supervisor and keep the answer, because a Preface that says "no generative AI" next to a methods chapter that names an AI tool invites a question from the committee.
Esmond evaluates every assignment before you submit. It never writes it.
Esmond is an AI tool that doesn't write for you. If your course doesn't allow any AI tools, don't use Esmond for that work. If you're unsure, ask your instructor or advisor.
Esmond's comments on a draft go beyond grammar, so ask your supervisor and committee before you use it, and describe it in your Preface if you go ahead. UBC has not reviewed or approved Esmond.
Your supervisor may want to know what it does: the page on how Esmond works explains the process, and the sample report shows the result. For the policy question, see whether you can use Esmond.
Yes. UBC says your Preface must include a statement to that effect, so a thesis with no AI use still addresses the question.
The rule speaks of theses and dissertations. UBC's guidance also covers major projects, and your program may add its own rules, so ask your program.
That is likely a non-editorial use, so the approval route applies. Ask your supervisor and committee first, document the use in writing, and describe it in your Preface.
UBC asks you to make clear which passages a tool helped create and how far it helped. The format comes from your style guide: see APA, MLA, or Chicago.
Read on November 4, 2026.
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