Always confirm with your instructor if you are permitted to use generative AI tools in your work. Follow your instructor's citation instructions for AI-generated content. Note that AI-generated content may not be considered an acceptable source for assignments. Always evaluate AI-generated content.
Can I use generative AI in my assignment? Always check with your instructor first! Before starting your assignment, confirm with your instructor that you are permitted to use generative AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT. Unauthorized use of generative software may constitute an academic integrity offence.
Do I need to cite content generated by artificial intelligence? Remember to include a citation whenever you incorporate content generated by AI in your assignment. For example, if you paraphrased or quoted text generated by ChatGPT, cite the source in text and in your references list. Neglecting to cite this material may constitute an academic integrity offence. Since your reader can't access the exact AI-generated text, you may also consider including a copy of the text as an appendix, or as part of supplemental materials.
What if I use AI to translate material, come up with ideas, or draft an outline for my assignment? As part of using artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically, it is important to be transparent and acknowledge how you have used AI in your work. If you used AI tools at any point in creating your assignment, include a statement in your work indicating which AI tools you used and how you used them. Neglecting to include this statement may constitute an academic integrity offence.
Are there risks to using AI content as a source? Be aware that there is a possibility that the content AI generates is biased, outdated, or false. Always evaluate the information generated by AI tools. Students are responsible for the accuracy, factuality, and truthfulness of artificial intelligence content used to assist with, and in, assessments.
If you're using generative AI tools for coursework, include a description of how you used the tool within your work. For example, you can describe in your introduction how you used the AI tool to generate an outline for your presentation. When citing AI-generated text, remember to include both in-text and references list citations. For more information, see APA Style's How to cite ChatGPT and similar AI tools.
Developer. (Version Year). Name of generative AI tool (Version number, if given) [Type of AI Model]. URL of tool
Example
Google. (2025). Gemini [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com
In-Text Citation
(Quote or Paraphrase)
Remember to include the prompt you used whenever you quote or paraphrase text generated by an AI tool. Since your reader can't access the exact AI-generated text, you may also consider including a copy of the text as an appendix or as part of supplemental materials. If you are including a copy of the generated text, you may refer to it in the body of your text, or as part of the in-text citation such as in the example below.
Given the prompt "What are large language models?" the text generated by Google Gemini described them as "are a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that are trained on massive amounts of text and data. This allows them to understand, summarize, and generate human-like text, as well as perform other complex tasks." (Google, 2025).
When provided with a follow up prompt of "What are examples of large language models?," Copilot listed OpenAI's GPT-3 and Google's Gemini and BERT as examples (Google, 2025).
AI-generated Responses & Summaries in Search Engines
Search engines (e.g., Google Search) may provide AI-generated responses within the search results. Whenever possible, it's best to locate and cite the original source referenced in the AI-generated response or summary. If your instructor permits the use of AI-generated responses or summaries in your assignment, remember to include both in-text and reference list citations. Since your reader can't access the exact AI-generated text, you may also consider including a copy of the generated text as an appendix or as part of supplemental materials.
Note that there are no official APA rules for citing AI-generated responses or summaries. The following is Lehigh Libraries recommendations adapted from APA's How to cite ChatGPT.
Developer. (Year, Month Day Response Was Generated). [AI-generated summary for "search terms used"]. Name of search engine. URL of search engine
Google. (2025, August 7). [AI-generated summary for "main periods of classical music"]. Google. https://www.google.com
Examples
(Google, 2025)
(Google, 2025; see Appendix A for the full transcript)
Note: The following citation examples are Lehigh Libraries' recommendations.
Reproducing the image in your work
If you are inserting the AI-generated image in your coursework, start with a figure number followed by an image title. Beneath the image, include a note with details about the prompt and the source (see example below). Remember to include the full citation in your References List.
Figure 3
Example of an AI-generated image
Note. Image generated using the prompt "Panoramic black and white image of the Badlands National Park," by Google, Google Gemini, 2025 (https://gemini.google.com).
Developer's Name. (Version Year). Name of AI tool (Version number) [Type of AI model, if known]. URL of tool
Google. (2025). Google Gemini [Diffusion model]. https://gemini.google.com/