AI-Generated Fake References in National Taiwan University Doctoral Thesis
A doctoral student at National Taiwan University included AI-generated fabricated references in their dissertation, citing works that don't exist and falsely attributing credentials to a professor. Similar cases occurred at other Taiwanese universities; the school removed the thesis from the database and launched an ethics investigation.
What happened
A doctoral student at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of National Development included fabricated references in their dissertation bibliography. Ye Gao-hua, a professor at Chung Shan University's Department of Sociology, discovered that the thesis cited one of his works that he had never written, and incorrectly attributed him as holding a doctorate from National Taiwan University's Department of Ethnology, which he does not hold.
The thesis had AI-generated errors in its bibliography when uploaded to the thesis database. The institute removed the thesis from the database and initiated investigation and review procedures under its academic ethics protocols. Similar cases were also discovered at Pingtung National University and Nanhua University, where students had submitted theses with AI-fabricated references.
Reported impact
The fabricated references risked misleading academic peers who consulted the bibliography for research purposes. The institute stated it removed the thesis from the database to prevent other scholars from citing erroneous sources.
Index analysis
Ye Gao-hua noted that AI hallucination of fictional sources is more serious than AI-assisted plagiarism, as verification of source authenticity is critical. He recommended that universities incorporate correct practices for using generative AI into their teaching literacy programs.
Governance controls
The Graduate Institute of National Development stated it would conduct investigation and review under its student thesis academic ethics review procedures and handle the matter according to applicable laws and academic professional standards. Nanhua University decided to purchase detection software that can identify AI-generated content and required all theses to be verified for content accuracy before defense.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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