PDF Case Review

Appearance

Stay compliant with HBS AI policies ​

Guidance reviewed September 16, 2026

This guide summarizes publicly available Harvard Business School policies for using PDF Case Review with HBS course materials. It is general guidance, not legal advice. Course-specific instructions from a faculty member may be stricter and take precedence.

Before using AI ​

  1. Check the course policy and syllabus.

    Obtain explicit faculty permission before using AI for any assignment, assessment, examination, or other work submitted for grading.

  2. Confirm that the AI account is HBS-provided.

    HBS policy permits assigned course materials, including HBS cases, to be uploaded only to private, HBS-provided AI tools unless faculty direct otherwise. Use the HBS-provided Claude Code or Codex account when processing HBS course materials.

  3. Do not rely solely on an email domain.

    An HBS email helps identify the intended account, but it does not replace course permission or confirm that a particular use is allowed.

  4. Do not enter confidential information into public AI tools.

    Do not submit confidential, proprietary, non-public research, company information, or other restricted data to publicly available AI services.

Using PDF Case Review ​

The AI features in PDF Case Review are off by default, and the extension asks for confirmation before sending content to an AI provider.

Before approving a run:

  • Confirm that the displayed account is the HBS-provided account you intend to use.
  • Review the authorization information shown for the document, if available.
  • Check what will be sent. Depending on the selected scope, this may include highlights, notes, and extracted document text.
  • Use the prompt review step to inspect the exact content before it is transmitted.
  • Cancel if the account, provider, document, or context is not permitted.

A yes answer is recorded in the sidecar with the provider, account, document hash and date; a cancel writes nothing. This record supports transparency, but it does not grant permission to use copyrighted or confidential material.

Handling AI-generated output ​

Do not present AI-generated analysis, ideas, or substantive writing as entirely your own work.

For permitted academic work:

  • Follow the HBS Citation Guide.
  • Disclose and cite AI use as required by HBS and the course.
  • Review generated content for factual errors, fabricated claims, bias, and unintentionally reproduced copyrighted material.
  • Keep your own analysis and managerial judgment central, especially when preparing for case discussions.

AI-generated summaries in PDF Case Review are labeled in the report and include provider and date information. You should still apply the citation and disclosure requirements for the specific course or assignment.

Classroom discussions ​

Do not use AI to record, transcribe, summarize, or otherwise capture class discussions, including remote sessions, unless HBS and the faculty member have expressly provided an applicable exception.

PDF Case Review is intended for reviewing documents and notes. It should not be used to capture classroom conversations.

HBS course materials, cases, faculty slides, classroom notes, and case analyses should not be published, sold, or distributed without the required permission.

Keep sidecar files, exported reports, copied prompts, and AI outputs private unless you have confirmed that sharing is authorized. In particular, do not commit HBS cases, substantial excerpts, classroom notes, or case analyses to a public repository.

When in doubt ​

Do not send the material. Ask the faculty member, HBS Publishing, or the appropriate HBS office whether the proposed use is permitted.

Sources ​