Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Plagiarism

A growing concern is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to write entire essays and articles. While it may be tempting to use AI in this way, please be aware that this is also considered a form of plagiarism.

Doing academic work requires that the work you turn in is your own. A paper that is written by AI is not considered your own original work.
It doesn’t matter which AI program/software you use. Using any of these to write your papers is considered a form of plagiarism.

Davenport students are encouraged to read their syllabus, as instructors will provide specific guidance for the use of AI in any given course. In the event there is no guidance in the syllabus, students are to assume the use of AI is prohibited, and they should check with instructors about specific assignments if they wish to use the tools.

It is important to note that tools that check your writing are okay to use. Examples can include the autocorrect feature in Google Docs and the app Grammarly. These tools, which scan pieces of writing for errors and/or make suggestions for edits, are very different from AI programs that write entire papers. The key difference is that it is your own original writing that is being scanned for possible mistakes versus AI, which does all the writing for you.

How to cite AI Chat in APA

Format

Author. (Date). Title (Version Number). URL

Examples

ChatGPT Example:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Gemini Example:
Google. (2024). Gemini (Mar 6 version) [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com/

In-Text Examples

ChatGPT Example: When asked to explain quantum computing in simple terms, OpenAI’s ChatGPT described it as a "type of computing that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to process information” (2023).

Narrative in-text citation shown above. Parenthetical in-text citation: (OpenAI, 2023)

Gemini Example: When prompted to briefly describe CSS, Google's Gemini described it as "CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It's like the paintbrush for websites, used to control how web pages look and behave." (2024).

Narrative in-text citation shown above. Parenthetical in-text citation: (Google, 2024)

1) Titles: With chatbot entries, you are getting the output from a directive or question you provided, so there isn't really a title. Use the name of the chatbot you are using as the title.
2) Version: Because two people can ask the same question and get different answers from the same chatbot on the same day, this entry requires a version. The version is the month and day the chatbot generated the output for your directive or question. The year is already noted right after the author.
3) Square Bracket Descriptions: Square brackets are additional descriptions used in citations to clarify the form of the item you are using. For chatbots now that is generally [Large language model]. You can use the description the creators use. For instance, ChatGPT-4 is described by OpenAI as a [Large multimodal model] which is ok to use. These terms will evolve as AI evolves.
4) Since each answer from a chatbot is unique and can't be reproduced, you should mention your directive or question in the body of your paper as you describe the part you are using and consider adding the full answer from the chatbot in an Appendix. In-text citation if you have an Appendix with the full response: (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).
5) Double-check factual information from chatbots as these first-generation chatbots have been shown to confidently make things up, erroneously predicting the pieces of information that should go together.

Plagiarism Guide

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Plagiarism

How to cite AI Chat in APA

Format

Examples

In-Text Examples