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Generative AI (GenAI) refers to a type of artificial intelligence that empower machines to create text, image, music, video, or text on their own. The widespread availability of GenAI software has sparked heated discussions within the education sector, with academic integrity being a major concern for both educators and students.
According to the Guidelines for Students on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Effective from 2022/23 Summer Term), it mentioned that:
Following the University Guidelines, this section is intended to provide essential information on how to navigate the complex terrain of integrating AI into your studies.
Explore common issues associated with the use of GenAI tools:
Can I use Generative AI (GenAI) tools in my assignments?
As stated in the University Guideline:
When use of AI for assessment is permitted, you must give appropriate acknowledgement to all the content from GenAI tools that you included. Failure to reference externally sourced, non-original work can be considered plagiarism.
As a student, you are accountable for your own works; therefore, it is important to be critical and evaluate the suitability of the information you use.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
| DO's | DON'Ts |
|---|---|
| ✔ Use GenAI for brainstorming and generating ideas. | ❌ Do NOT rely solely on AI-generated content as the source of information. Always verify and cross-reference. |
| ✔ Check for factual accuracy of AI-generated content before using it. | ❌ Do NOT ask GenAI software to write your essays or academic assignments. |
| ✔ Use AI-generated content in conjunction with other sources to ensure your work is reliable and well-informed. | ❌ Do NOT input any personal details or confidential information when using GenAI tools to maintain data security and privacy. |
| ✔ Include any assistance from GenAI tools in your reference list. |
Reference:
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. (2023, June 27). Guidelines for Students on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ar/students-in-taught-programmes/use-of-genai/
Academic integrity and the use of GenAI tools are addressed in guidelines at multiple universities.
Some examples are highlighted here for your reference:
Most referencing styles do not have specific guidelines for citing ChatGPT or other GenAI tools. Unless specific instructions are provided, you should refer to the guidelines provided by official sites of different citation styles and the Referencing Guides developed by ELC for citation.
Follow the referencing style used in your course for how to cite GenAI content. The full transcript of a response can be included in an appendix or other supplementary materials.
Here is an example of citing the GenAI content based on the APA 7th Referencing guide. You may also refer to Citing generative AI in APA Style for more information.
Citing references to specific AI chats using APA Style:
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In-text Citation |
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In-text Example |
You might have a sentence such as the following: "I provided the following prompt to Gemini (Google, 2025): “Please create an image of students in a classroom studying grammar concepts.” After reviewing the initial image created, I refined the images by adding more detail, asking Gemini to include more racial and ethnic diversity in the student population and specifying the age range should be adolescents."
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Reference |
AI Company Name. (year, month day). Title of chat in italics [Description, such as Generative AI chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the chat |
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Reference Example |
Anthropic. (2025, May 20). Essential grammar topics for high school graduates [Generative AI chat]. Claude Sonnet 4. https://claude.ai/share/329173b2-ec93-4663-ac68-4f65ea4f166d Google. (2025, May 22). High school grammar concepts overview [Generative AI chat]. Gemini 2.5 Flash. https://g.co/gemini/share/a1306ce12929 OpenAI. (2025, August 21). High school grammar concepts [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/68a77b60-0ee4-800c-9acc-cd3fd573c311 Perplexity AI. (2025, May 20). High school grammar topics [Generative AI chat]. Perplexity. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/a457cb8c-c663-4c9b-b34e-cb03d8108b35 |
Citing an AI tool generally using APA Style:
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In-text Citation |
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In-text Example |
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Reference |
AI Company Name. (year). Tool Name/Model in Italics and Title Case [Description; e.g., Large language model]. URL of the tool |
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Reference Example |
Anthropic. (2025). Claude 4 Sonnet [Large language model]. https://claude.ai/new Google. (2025). Gemini 2.5 Flash [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/ Perplexity AI. (2025). Perplexity [Large language model]. https://www.perplexity.ai/ |
Source: Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 1—Reference formats
Currently, some citation styles may use reference templates for software, while others cite the content as personal communication or correspondence.
For information on citing GenAI content in various citation styles, please refer to the following pages.
In response to the rise of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, many scholarly publishers have included information about if and how AI can be used and appropriately acknowledged.
Below are some typical stances found in publishers' policies regarding the application of generative AI tools in academic publishing:
For more information on using GenAI in Publishing and to review relevant policies from major academic publishers, please consult this guide.