Skip to Main Content

University Library Services

Study Skills- Referencing

A guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism

Referencing Gen-AI

 

Gen-AI is becoming a more frequently used tool used by students to assist with their studies. Our stand at the University of Sunderland on Gen-AI is an Assist-Not Do approach. However, your lecturer will specify how much or little Gen-AI use is accepted with each assignment.

Additionally, always check with your lecturer on how they want transparency of Gen-AI use presented as part of your assignment. As well as referencing this could include a signed declaration of Gen-AI usage and/ or an appendix of Gen-AI prompts and outputs.

Referencing Gen-AI Video

General Notes for Referencing Gen-AI

 

  1. Transparency is Key: Always acknowledge the use of AI tools in your work.
  2. Output Type Matters: Specify whether you're referencing the tool itself, the output it generated, or both.
  3. Adapt Guidance: Always cross-check against Cite Them Right (and select your correct referencing style for your assignment), as citation styles may update their guidelines for emerging technologies.
  4. FACT CHECK, FACT CHECK, FACT CHECK all AI outputs. Gen-AI is predicting results based on the information you put into it and its stored data, it does NOT know and is not always accurate. Do not rely on Gen-AI for research purposes.

Now, how do we reference Gen-AI?

 

There are two types of Gen-AI when it comes to referencing. The simplest way to know the difference of the two is to ask yourself – “can others access the Gen-AI output online?”. If they can access the Gen-AI image or article, then it should be referenced as a reusable online source like you would most online materials.

If others cannot access it, then treat it as personal communication. Be prepared that your academic may request an appendix which details your private conversation with the Gen-AI source for evidence of use.

Example Referencing

Harvard Referencing on Cite Them Right

When citing the AI created material available online:

Citation order:

  • Creator (name of AI)
  • Year (in round brackets)
  • Title of work (in italics)
  • [Medium]
  • Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date)

In-text citation:
(OpenAI, 2024)

Reference list:
OpenAI (2024) An update on disrupting deceptive uses of AI [Online article]. Available at: https://openai.com/global-affairs/an-update-on-disrupting-deceptive-uses-of-ai/ (Accessed: 15 December 2024).

When citing AI-generated output

  • Treat it as a personal communication if it’s unique to your input, as it may not be reproducible.
  • Include an in-text citation and reference.
  • You may be required to include an appendix of your Gen-AI conversation which includes prompts and outputs as part of a separate appendix (check with your academic).

Citation order:

  • Name of AI
  • Year of communication (in round brackets)
  • Medium of communication
  • Receiver of communication
  • Day/month of communication

In-text citation:
When prompted by the author, ChatGPT responded with an answer to ‘ways of disrupting deceptive uses of AI’ (OpenAI ChatGPT, 2024). A copy of this response is in Appendix A.

Reference list:
OpenAI ChatGPT (2024) ChatGPT response to Peter Jones, 15 December.

APA Referencing (7th Edition) on Cite Them Right

When citing AI-generated output

  • APA advises treating AI-generated content as a software or algorithm.
  • You may be required to include an appendix of your Gen-AI conversation which includes prompts and outputs as part of a separate appendix (check with your academic).

Citation order:

  • Author of AI program
  • Year of the program version used (in round brackets)
  • Name of AI (as the title, in italics)
  • Version, if applicable (in round brackets)
  • Description of program (for context, in square brackets)
  • Publisher, if different from the author
  • URL, if applicable

 

In-Text Citation:

(OpenAI, 2024)

Reference List Example:

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Version 4) [Generative AI language model]. https://chat.openai.com

If Including an Appendix:

You can title the appendix like this:
Appendix A: ChatGPT Conversation Transcript
Include both the prompts you used and the AI-generated responses.

Vancouver Referencing on Cite Them Right

When citing AI-generated output

Vancouver advises treating AI-Generated content as a personal communication which should be noted in your text and not in the referencing list.

  • Provide the name of the AI
  • The date of the conversation
  • Note that it will not be included in your reference list by including the word unreferenced.

You may be required to include an appendix of your Gen-AI conversation which includes prompts and outputs as part of a separate appendix (check with your academic).

In-text citation:

When asked about the ethical implications of AI in education, OpenAI’s ChatGPT provided an overview of key concerns such as data privacy and algorithmic bias (2024 Feb 6, unreferenced). A transcript of this conversation can be found in Appendix A.

OSCOLA Referencing on Cite Them Right

When citing AI-generated output

If your Gen-AI result is only available to you as part of a conversation, cite this in the body of your text as a personal conversation.

You may be required to include an appendix of your Gen-AI conversation which includes prompts and outputs as part of a separate appendix (check with your academic).

Citation Order:

  • Form/output of conversation
  • Name of AI
  • Requestor/recipient
  • Date (in round brackets)

Footnote:

Text generated by ChatGPT to Joe Bloggs (November 12 2024).