How to Disclose ChatGPT Use and Verify Its Sources in Your Assignment

What you need

• An AI chat tool such as ChatGPT, which is widely used for research and which the sources discuss [2]. Google’s Gemini is another tool mentioned in the sources [1].
• Your assignment question or topic from your teacher.
• A search engine or your library database, so you can check every source.
• Your school’s or university’s written rules on AI use.

Step by step

1. Ask for sources in your prompt. Tell the tool clearly that you need references. ChatGPT does not always volunteer its sources, so you have to ask [2]. A prompt you can copy is shown below.

I am writing a university assignment on [your topic]. Give me 5 academic sources with full title, authors, journal and year. For each one, say how sure you are that it exists. Do not invent any source.

2. Search for each source by its exact title. Do this before you use anything in your work. The sources recommend testing every reference to make sure it actually exists [2].

3. Check that the author, journal and year match. AI tools can attach real journal names to invented authors and made-up titles. A source can look perfect and still be fabricated [2].

4. Remove any source you cannot find. Do not put it in your reference list, even if it sounds convincing.

5. Give proper credit to anyone whose work you use. If you refer to ideas or wording from other people, attribute them properly and avoid copying them [1].

6. Write a short note on how you used AI. Name the tool and the task it helped with, such as finding sources or brainstorming. The sources explain that acknowledging AI use helps build trust and credibility in academic work [1].

7. Check the AI’s answers against your course reading. Confirm the facts yourself before you rely on them in your argument.

8. Be open with your teacher. Be ready to explain how the AI-generated content was produced and what sources you relied on [1].

Example: A BS student in Karachi asks an AI tool for five sources for her research assignment. Two of the titles return no results in a search. She removes them, checks the other three in her library database, and adds a short note at the end of her paper saying which tool she used and for what task.

Tips and common mistakes

• Mistake: trusting a reference because it looks professional. Always search for it. Fabricated sources can look very real [2].
• Mistake: copying AI text without attribution. Using others’ work without credit goes against copyright and integrity expectations [1].
• Mistake: pasting copyrighted material into the tool. Avoid putting copyrighted text into an AI tool to generate outputs [1].
• Tip: Expect improvement, but still verify. Newer versions of ChatGPT are getting better at citing sources, but checking remains your job [2].
• Tip: Follow your teacher’s citation format. The sources here do not set a citation style, so use the format your department asks for.
• Tip: Keep your own notes. Write down which tool and prompt you used so you can explain your process if asked.

Use it responsibly

Always check AI answers before you submit anything. AI output can be incomplete, skewed or biased, because it depends on the data the model was trained on [1]. Protect privacy as well: never paste personal details, student ID numbers, or unpublished private research into an AI tool [1]. Finally, follow your school’s or university’s rules on AI use. Those rules may require a particular way of disclosing AI help, and they take priority over any general advice in this guide.