Cite Your Sources

Always check with your instructor before using generative AI for any portion of a course assignment. Some courses may allow the limited use of generative AI; in others, the use of AI may be considered a violation of the Honor Code. No matter what, any time you use generative AI for an assignment, you must acknowledge and cite it. 

Below you'll find links to guidance related to citing AI in several different styles, as well as an acknowledgment statement that can help you explain how you used AI. These standards continue to evolve, and some publications and professors argue that any use of generative AI constitutes plagiarism. Always check with your professor first. We'll update these links as more information becomes available. 

Unlike an article, book, film, or other traditional source, generative AI changes based on the prompt, time, and other contextual elements, and your reader may not be able to replicate the ways in which you've used a particular tool. Therefore, no matter what style you use, you'll need to show your work. You can do that through a publicly available link (through a browser extension like ShareGPT); you can include the entire conversation, with prompts, in the text or a note; or you can include an "acknowledgement statement" that demonstrates how you've used generative AI. 

A sample acknowledgement statement might look like this:

I acknowledge the use of [insert AI system(s) and link] to [specific use of generative artificial intelligence]. The prompts used include [list of prompts]. The output of these prompts was used to [explain use]. 

Example of a student acknowledgement statement:

I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com) to generate an outline for the assigned essay. The prompts used included:

• create an outline for a college level paper on the Cold War
• include sections on foreign and domestic policy
• write in an academic style. The output from these prompts was used to create an outline that was modified then used to write the final paper.

Generative AI is quickly developing, and different ways of using these tools will be allowed for different instructors and assignments. Always check with your professor to make sure your specific use of ChatGPT or other generative AI is permitted. 

This acknowledgement statement format has been shared by the McDaniel chapter of the AAUP.