So, you’ve got a massive essay due, and you used ChatGPT to help brainstorm some ideas, or maybe you ran your draft through an AI tool to fix up your grammar.
That’s great—but now what?
As artificial intelligence becomes a regular part of student life, universities are drawing a hard line: you can often use AI, but you must be transparent about it.
Failing to disclose your AI use can land you in hot water for “automated plagiarism.” Remember, AI cannot be listed as an author because it cannot take legal or ethical responsibility for the work. You are the ultimate author!
If you’re unsure how to give credit to your robot assistant, don’t panic. Here is your ultimate guide to acknowledging and citing AI in your academic essays.
How to Acknowledge AI Use in Essays
Step 1: Check Your Syllabus First
Before you do anything, check your specific course syllabus or ask your professor. University policies vary wildly. Some professors ban AI entirely, some allow it for brainstorming only, and others actively encourage you to use it for drafting. If your professor requires prior permission, make sure you get it before you start prompting.
Step 2: Know the Difference (Acknowledge vs. Cite)
How you credit AI depends on exactly how you used it:
- Acknowledgement/Disclosure: Use this if you used AI to brainstorm, create an outline, translate text, or proofread your grammar. The AI’s exact words aren’t in your essay, but it acted as a digital assistant.
- Formal Citation: Use this if you are directly quoting, paraphrasing, or incorporating specific text, data, or statistics generated by the AI directly into your essay.
Step 3: Write an AI Disclosure Statement
If you used AI as an assistant, you’ll generally need to include an “AI Acknowledgement” statement. This is usually a short paragraph placed at the end of your essay, right before or after your reference list.
A good disclosure statement should include the name of the tool, how you used it, what prompts you used, and a statement taking full responsibility for the final product.
Here are a few templates you can easily adapt for your own essays:
Sample AI Disclosure Statements
Template 1: For Brainstorming and Outlining
“During the preparation of this assignment, I used [AI Tool Name, e.g., ChatGPT-4] to brainstorm initial ideas and structure my outline. I reviewed and heavily revised the material generated to align with my own original analysis, and I take full responsibility for the accuracy and final content of this submission.”
Template 2: For Proofreading and Editing
“I acknowledge the use of [AI Tool Name, e.g., Grammarly GO / InstaText] to check for spelling, grammar, and readability during the drafting process. After using this tool, I carefully reviewed the edits to ensure they preserved my original voice and intent. I take full responsibility for the final content.”
Template 3: The “Mad-Lib” Short Version
“I used [AI tool + link] in order to [how you used it, e.g., summarize complex articles]. I modified the outputs by [how you changed it, e.g., rewriting it in my own words and verifying facts against the primary texts].”
Step 4: Formatting Formal AI Citations
If you actually quote or paraphrase the AI’s exact output, you need to cite it in your bibliography or works cited page just like a book or a website. Because AI generates unique text every time, you usually cite the developer as the author. Here is how to format AI in the most common academic styles:
APA Style (7th Edition)
APA treats AI like an authored software tool. Include the developer, year, model version, and URL.
In-text citation: (OpenAI, 2024)
Reference list: OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (March 2024 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
MLA Style (9th Edition)
MLA focuses heavily on the specific prompt you gave the AI, rather than just the software itself.
In-text citation: (“Prompt description”)
Works Cited: “Tell me about the themes of surveillance in 1984.” ChatGPT, GPT-4 version, OpenAI, 15 Oct. 2025, chat.openai.com/chat.
Harvard Style (Cite Them Right)
Harvard treats generative AI similarly to a form of personal communication or software.
In-text citation: (OpenAI ChatGPT, 2024)Reference list: OpenAI Chat GPT (2024) ChatGPT response to [Your Name], 15 October. Available at: https://chat.openai.com/
Chicago Style
Chicago allows AI citations in footnotes and generally doesn’t require them in the bibliography unless your professor asks for it.
Footnote: ChatGPT, GPT-4, OpenAI, response to author’s prompt on 15 October 2025, https://chat.openai.com.
Step 5: Keep the Receipts!
Finally, always document your AI use as you go. It is highly recommended to save a transcript or take screenshots of your chat logs with the AI. Some professors may require you to submit an appendix containing your full chat history or a “prompt log” to prove exactly how much work the AI did versus how much you did.
The Golden Rule: AI is known to “hallucinate” fake facts and completely made-up citations. Never trust AI to cite its own sources. You are the human in the loop, which means your reputation and grade are on the line. Use AI to enhance your workflow, over-disclose your use to be safe, and always rely on your own critical thinking for the final product!