Academic Integrity
AI Disclosure Statement for Qualitative Research
How QualIntel OS generates a verifiable, examiner-ready AI disclosure document from your analysis audit log.
What is an AI disclosure statement?
An AI disclosure statement for academic research specifies how an AI tool was used in the research process: what the tool was asked to do, what decisions the researcher confirmed or overrode, and where analytical judgement remained entirely with the researcher. Universities and research institutions are developing policies requiring researchers to make this explicit — particularly in qualitative research, where AI involvement in coding or analysis raises direct questions about methodological rigour and researcher ownership of interpretation.
A credible AI disclosure statement is not written after the fact by the researcher recalling what they did. It is derived from a contemporaneous audit record of AI activity during the analysis. That is exactly how QualIntel OS generates it.
Why it matters for qualitative research specifically
In quantitative research, AI assistance with statistical analysis is relatively straightforward to disclose. In qualitative research, the stakes are higher: coding decisions, theme construction, and analytical interpretation are the core of the research contribution. If an AI system made those decisions — or if it is unclear whether a human or AI made them — the methodological integrity of the research is in question.
Examiners, supervisors, ethics committees, and journal reviewers increasingly ask: was the coding done by the researcher, or by an AI? QualIntel OS is designed so the answer is always unambiguous: every coding decision was made by the researcher, every AI suggestion required explicit confirmation, and there is a timestamped log proving it.
What QualIntel OS generates automatically
At Step 6 (submission export), QualIntel OS produces a non-editable AI Disclosure Statement from your audit log. It includes:
- AI tool name and version used during analysis
- Methodology mode selected (e.g. Reflexive Thematic Analysis, IPA, Grounded Theory)
- Total AI evidence suggestions made, broken down by accepted and rejected
- Confirmation that no code or theme was auto-applied without researcher confirmation
- Statement that all analytical interpretation and judgement remained with the researcher
- Date range of analysis activity
The statement is non-editable by design: it reflects what actually happened during your analysis, not a post-hoc description.
Frequently asked questions
Do universities require an AI disclosure statement for qualitative research?
University AI policies are evolving rapidly. As of 2024–2026, many institutions require or recommend explicit disclosure of any AI tool used in research — including tools that assisted with coding, evidence retrieval, or data organisation. Requirements vary by institution and supervisor, so check your specific university's academic integrity policy. QualIntel OS generates a non-editable AI Disclosure Statement from your audit log so you have a verifiable, submission-ready record regardless of your institution's specific format.
What does QualIntel OS's AI Disclosure Statement include?
The AI Disclosure Statement generated by QualIntel OS includes: the AI tool name and version used; the methodology mode selected; the total number of AI evidence suggestions made, accepted, and rejected; a confirmation that no code or theme was auto-applied without researcher confirmation; a statement that all analytical interpretation remained with the researcher; and the date range of analysis activity. It is generated from the audit log and is non-editable.
Is QualIntel OS's AI Disclosure Statement suitable for PhD thesis submission?
QualIntel OS's AI Disclosure Statement is designed to be examiner-readable and academically defensible. It documents AI's bounded role (candidate evidence surfacing only) and the researcher's confirmatory role at every step. Whether it meets your specific institution's disclosure format requirement is something to verify with your supervisor, as policy formats vary. You can include it as an appendix in your thesis or methods chapter.
Where do I find the AI Disclosure Statement in QualIntel OS?
The AI Disclosure Statement is generated at Step 6 of the QualIntel OS workflow — the submission export stage. It is included in the submission package alongside the Evidence Pack, Codebook export, Reflexivity Template, and audit log. It cannot be edited after generation, which is intentional: the document is derived from the actual audit record, not written by the researcher after the fact.
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