Acknowledge AI Use

Acknowledging AI use means being honest about whether an AI tool contributed to your work. It helps your teacher understand your process and distinguish your thinking from the support provided by technology.

Your teacher’s instructions always take priority. If you are unsure whether or how to acknowledge AI, ask before submitting your work.

Explain how AI supported your work

Do not simply state that you “used AI.” Describe what the tool helped you do.

For example, AI might have helped you:

• Generate possible research questions

• Identify keywords or search terms

• Explain a difficult concept

• Brainstorm ideas

• Create practice questions

• Suggest ways to organise information

• Provide feedback on a draft

• Check spelling or grammar

• Translate a word or short passage

• Generate an image, diagram or code

Be specific about what you asked the tool to do and how you used its response.

Describe what remained your own

Your acknowledgement should make your contribution clear.

You might explain that you:

• Developed the main ideas

• Conducted the research

• Located and evaluated the sources

• Checked the AI-generated information

• Selected which suggestions to use

• Rejected inaccurate or unsuitable suggestions

• Wrote and revised the final response

• Created the final design or product

• Made all final decisions

AI support does not remove your responsibility for the completed work.

Use an AI acknowledgement

When your teacher asks you to acknowledge AI use, you can adapt this template:

I used [name of AI tool] to help me [describe the purpose]. I used its response to [explain how it contributed]. I checked the information against [identify reliable sources or methods] and completed the final work myself.

Example: brainstorming

I used ChatGPT to generate possible questions about plastic pollution. I selected and revised one of the suggestions, conducted my own research and wrote the final response myself.

Example: feedback

I used an AI tool to suggest ways to improve the organisation of my draft. I considered its feedback, chose which suggestions were useful and revised the writing in my own words.

Example: study support

I used an AI tool to create practice questions from my notes. I answered the questions independently and did not use AI to complete the assessed task.

Example: image generation

I used [name of tool] to generate the image used on this page. I wrote and revised the prompt, selected the final image and checked that it was appropriate for my purpose.

Cite or document AI use when required

An acknowledgement explains the role AI played in your work. A citation identifies the particular tool or output.

Your teacher may ask you to:

• Include a short acknowledgement

• Add an in-text citation

• Add an entry to your bibliography

• Attach a record of your prompts and outputs

• Include screenshots or links

• Explain your AI use in a process journal

• Label AI-generated images, audio, video or code

In practice, separate the AI acknowledgement from the Works Cited list.

1. AI acknowledgement

Place this before the bibliography or in a note at the end of the assignment:

AI acknowledgement: I used ChatGPT to generate possible research questions about plastic pollution. I selected and revised one suggestion, checked relevant information against Britannica and UNEP sources, conducted the research and wrote the final response independently.

2. Works Cited entry

Add an entry only when you have quoted, paraphrased or directly used AI-generated content:

“Generate possible research questions about plastic pollution” prompt. ChatGPT, model [model name], OpenAI, 6 Aug. 2026, [shareable conversation URL].

Follow the citation style and format required for the task. Ask your teacher or librarian if you need help.

Keep relevant prompts and outputs

Your prompts and outputs can provide evidence of your process.

When appropriate, keep:

• The name and version of the AI tool

• The date you used it

• Your original prompt

• Important follow-up prompts

• The relevant AI response

• Notes showing what you accepted, changed or rejected

• Sources used to verify the response

You do not need to keep every conversation unless your teacher requires it. Retain the parts that influenced your work.

What not to do

Do not:

• Hide or misrepresent your use of AI

• Claim AI-generated work as entirely your own

• Use vague statements that conceal how much help you received

• Cite sources suggested by AI without opening and checking them

• Assume that acknowledging prohibited AI use makes it acceptable

• Include personal or confidential information in saved prompts

• Invent an acknowledgement that does not reflect your actual process

Acknowledgement does not replace permission. If AI was not permitted, stating that you used it does not make that use acceptable.

Before you submit

Check that:

• AI use was permitted for the task.

• I explained which tool I used.

• I described why and how I used it.

• I made clear what work remained my own.

• I verified important information.

• I cited or documented my use when required.

• I retained relevant prompts and outputs.

• I can explain every part of my final work.

Remember

Responsible AI use should be visible, explainable and honest.

If AI contributed to your work, acknowledge its role clearly and take responsibility for everything you submit.