Citing AI

Important: Always check with your supervisor before using AI tools! Ask if (and how!) you can use them and how you should cite AI-generated content in your paper.

Transparency is key when using AI tools in your studies. This means you need to clearly document in your papers which sections you used AI tools for and how.

You can best document the use of AI tools and AI-generated content in your work by using a combination of these methods:

  • Describe in the relevant section of your work which AI tools you used and what you used them for (e.g., in the literature review or methodology section).
  • List the AI tools in a list of aids used. In this list, you disclose all tools – not just AI-based ones – that you used while working on your paper. For each tool, provide its name, explain how you used it, and specify which parts of your paper it was used for. The WU website offers a dedicated page with more information on the list of aids used, including a useful template and an example of a completed list.
  • Cite AI-generated content in your work.

How do I cite AI-generated content?

Different citation styles offer suggestions for citing AI-generated content. Below, we share the recommendations of the APA, Chicago, and MLA citation styles. Practical examples show what such citations can look like in an academic paper.