Acknowledging AI tools and technologies

If your subject coordinator has advised that you can use generative AI tools and technologies in a subject, this resource guides you on how to appropriately acknowledge the use of these tools and technologies in your assessments.

Researchers: Specific guidance for University of Melbourne researchers about how to acknowledge the use of digital assistance tools in research outputs is available here.

Academic Integrity at the University of Melbourne: You can find more information about Academic Integrity and how to uphold good scholarship at the University of Melbourne here.

Acknowledging, citing and referencing use of AI tools and technologies

If you have used an AI tool or technology such as ChatGPT to generate an output which you either paraphrase or direct quote in your writing, you must cite and reference this output as a source in your reference list. Guidelines for how to cite and reference AI outputs are currently being updated for each of the referencing styles commonly used at the University of Melbourne. Check with your subject coordinator about the preferred referencing style in your subject and see Re:cite for examples on how to format your citations and references using a selected style.

If you have used an AI tool or technology in any other way in the process of completing your assessment (for example, brainstorming, understanding concepts, generating examples, summarising readings), an acknowledgement of how you have used AI tools or technologies is required. You can create this acknowledgement by adding a declaration at the end of your assessment.

If you have used an AI tool or technology to edit or translate your work, you should check if your use is acceptable or not: Advice for students regarding translation and editing tools (unimelb.edu.au). It is strongly recommended that you include any translation, editing or proofreading tools in your declaration.

What to include in a declaration

A declaration is a personal statement of acknowledgement that you write to describe for readers how you have used AI tools and technologies to prepare an assessment. A declaration aims to create clarity and transparency about:

  • the specific AI tools or technologies you used
  • what you used the AI tools or technologies for in the process of completing your assessment
  • the prompts you used in the AI tools or technologies
  • an explanation of how the output from the AI tools or technologies was used in your work.

Why you should include a declaration

As a student, your declaration is an important statement confirming that the work you are submitting for assessment is your own and has academic integrity. Attempting to present AI-generated output as your original work without permission or proper acknowledgement puts you at risk of failure of the subject, suspension or expulsion.

If your subject coordinator has advised that AI tools and technologies can be used in your subject and to complete an assessment, a declaration provides important information describing how you have used these tools and technologies in your work. Declarations reflect your diligence as a scholar and your transparency as an author. For your readers, declarations add clarity about the extent to which you have used AI tools and technologies in your research, writing, and learning processes.

Where to place your declaration

A declaration to acknowledge how you have used AI tools and technologies in your work can be added at the end of your assessment. A declaration generally follows the reference list and does not need to be started on a new page.

Examples of declarations

A declaration should be formatted to be consistent with other sections of your assessment in terms of font type, size and spacing. A heading (‘Declaration’) should be used to identify this statement clearly for your readers.

Template

Declaration

I acknowledge the use of [AI tool or technology name] and [link] to generate.../ I have not used any AI tools or technologies to prepare this assessment.

Prompt: I entered the following prompt/s...

Use: I used the output to.../I modified the output to...

Example 1

  • Declaration

    I acknowledge the use of Claude [claude.ai] to help me evaluate my essay outline.

    I entered the following prompt: “Provide questions I should ask myself when evaluating my essay draft outline.”

    I used the output at the initial stage of the assessment task to help plan my essay.

Example 2

  • Declaration

    I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT [https://chat.openai.com/] to help brainstorm topics for an assessment.

    I entered the following prompt: “Come up with five questions that would help a university student explore [topic].” 

    I used the output as a starting point for generating ideas before narrowing down the topic for my assessment.

Example 3

  • Declaration

    I acknowledge the use of DeepL Translate [DeepL.com] to generate translations of key terms from English into my first language in the preparation of this assessment.

    I entered the following prompts: “oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction.”

    I used the output to better understand the topic as I conducted research for the report.

Example 4

  • Declaration

    I acknowledge the use of Grammarly in helping me to review my writing at the final stage of preparing my assessment.

    I used the following prompt: "Suggest ways to improve  clarity and concision. Provide general advice with examples. Do not re-write any of my writing."

    I reviewed the feedback generated by Grammarly critically and, based on this, revised the writing using my own words and expressions.

FAQs

  • I have cited and referenced outputs from an AI tool or technology in my assessment. Do I also need a declaration?

    Yes. In addition to a citation or reference, a declaration provides you with an opportunity to describe how you have used an AI tool or technology to complete your assessment. This information assists your readers to understand how AI tools and technologies have been incorporated in your research, writing and learning processes.

  • I have not used any generative AI tools or technologies in the preparation of my assessment. Do I need to include a declaration?

    Check with your subject coordinator. If a declaration is required and you have not used AI tools or technologies to prepare your assessment, you can include the following statement in your declaration: “I have not used any AI tools or technologies to prepare this assessment.”

  • I have appendices at the end of my assessment. Where do I insert my declaration?

    If you have appendices at the end of your assessment, a declaration can be placed after your reference list and before your appendices. Using a heading (‘Declaration’) will assist your reader to locate your declarative statement in your assessment.

  • I have used more than one AI tool. Do I need to declare them all?

    Yes. Your declaration should describe all of the AI tools and technologies that you have used at all stages of preparing your assessment, including from initial brainstorming and planning through to a final review of your writing.

  • I have a long series of prompts. Do I need to record each one?

    If you enter multiple prompts (e.g. one for an explanation, one for examples, one for feedback) you need to provide all the prompts and describe how you used or modified the output in your assessment.

  • Is a declaration included in the word count of my assessment?

    Similar to your reference list and appendix, a declarative statement is generally not included in your word count. If in doubt, please check with your subject coordinator.

  • I am working on a group assessment. Should we create individual declarations or one statement from the group?

    If submitting a group assessment, generally one declaration to represent all group members is required. The statement needs to describe how all group members have used AI tools and technologies to complete the assessment. If in doubt, please check with your subject coordinator.

  • I have used translation tools and/or digital assistance tools to improve my writing. Do I need to declare them?

    Check with your subject coordinator first. If you have been given permission to use translation or writing tools in the preparation of your assessment, acknowledging how you have used them is an important part of your declaration to create clarity and transparency for your reader.

Further resources

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