CDU APA Referencing: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including generative AI (GenAI) tools, are becoming more common in academic work. However, you need to understand how to use tools appropriately.

Before using AI-generated content, always check with your lecturer, supervisor, or course guidelines to confirm whether AI tools are permitted and how they should be acknowledged. Some courses may allow AI assistance with proper citation, while others may restrict or prohibit its use.

You can find more information on the Study Skills Using AI Tools at University page.

Referencing AI as a Tool Used in Research

If AI was used as a support tool, but no content was taken, i.e. getting help structuring an essay, you may still need to acknowledge its use.

Check with your lecturer to see what is required. Examples:

• "We used ChatGPT to generate initial topic ideas, which were later refined manually".
• Grammarly was used in the production of this report to check spelling and punctuation and offer writing style suggestions”.

Citation Elements

Tool/Software

Reference Examples