Referencing and acknowledging the use of artificial intelligence tools

It is important to include appropriate acknowledgement of images used in your assessments whether that be in a report, visual essay, PowerPoint presentation, video or other form of work. Images you create yourself (without the use of AI) generally do not need a reference. Images you create with generative AI should generally have a caption citation and may also be included in a reference list/bibliography. Check with your course convenor or assessment brief for specific requirements in your assessments.

For specific style guidelines see:

• Harvard referencing
• APA referencing
• Chicago referencing
• MLA referencing

Referencing is a way to acknowledge sources you have used in your writing. This may include books, journal articles, websites, newspaper articles, personal communication, and more recently, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and technologies. Failure to reference correctly can result in plagiarism.

According to the UNSW plagiarism policy: copying material from other sources without acknowledgment, as well as incorrectly paraphrasing (changing a few words around while retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas) are both grounds for plagiarism. This means that if you use outputs generated by AI in your assessment, you must cite and attribute this information accordingly.

Yes. At university, it is important to let others know where you get your information and who authored the work. This is so others can ensure the work is yours and can locate and verify the sources you are using. If AI outputs (text generated by AI) feature in your work, you need to flag this material with proper referencing acknowledging that AI tools have been used. 

Thinking about generative AI tools like ChatGPT as a source like any other can be problematic. Large language models like ChatGPT use a multitude of data to inform its outputs, and in some cases, the information these tools provide may not be up-to-date or accurate.

AI tools may also, unknowingly, plagiarise other sources, meaning it may not have correctly cited or attributed original author(s). In addition, these tools might suggest sources that look and sound legitimate, but are in fact fake. These are known as "hallucinations". 

You should never rely on generative AI outputs as a source for high-quality information. In fact, you should assume all AI outputs are incorrect until proven otherwise.

It is important to cite and acknowledge the use of AI tools if you have used them as part of an assessment. This helps to ensure the academic integrity of your work.

If parts of your work have been detected as ‘AI generated’, referencing this material appropriately does not necessarily guarantee you won’t have breached academic integrity guidelines. If you have used an AI tool’s output in your work and are unsure whether to cite it, it is always better to reference this material rather than leave it unacknowledged.

When using AI tools in academic work, it's crucial to acknowledge their impact on your research and ideas for the sake of academic integrity. This includes any significant assistance from AI, such as clarifying concepts, identifying literature, or influencing the research direction, regardless of whether AI-generated content is directly quoted.

Acknowledging AI contributions maintains transparency and integrity, whether they've provided content, influenced themes and arguments, or supported research and analysis.

Before using AI to edit your work, make sure you have been given permission to do so. If an AI tool has changed or altered your work in any way, or you have included its suggestions as part of your final submission, you should acknowledge the use of AI with a brief acknowledgement statement.

Ultimately, you are responsible for the work you submit, and the suggestions made by AI tools may not always be accurate or reflect the quality of your ideas. When it is allowable to do so and you have used AI tools to edit, alter, or translate your work, you should also acknowledge this with a brief statement under your reference list or at the bottom of the document.

Example of an acknowledgment:

Acknowledgement:
I acknowledge the assistance provided by <insert tool, version, year> for text enhancement. I confirm that once the text was modified by AI, I checked it for possible errors, inaccuracies, harmful content, and bias. I made changes where necessary to ensure the submitted work, including voice, argument, conclusion <insert as appropriate>, is my own, within the parameters of permitted AI use.
 
The use of AI in my work includes:
<List examples of types of assistance provided by AI, such as:
- Paraphrasing
- Structuring
- Idea forming
- Literature searches
- Improvement suggestions>
<add steps taken to adjust the text - such as iterations of text and prompts>
<add summary of prompts as direct words in quotes or short descriptions>