Declaration and Acknowledgement Statements, Citing and Referencing

When using Al language models or other Al tools for assistance with writing, research, or analysis, it is important that you disclose and properly reference the use of these tools. This transparency helps maintain academic integrity and ensures that the work is evaluated fairly. 

  

The Requirement of Declaration Statements

 Explicit acknowledgment of use of generative Al tools such as Large Language Models like Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini or ChatGPT or any other media generated through similar tools is required.  Declaration statements need to be selected, completed, and appended to the references or somewhere prominent in the submission.  If you have not used any such tools in any way a declaration statement is still required:

 

1. I declare that no part of this submission has been generated by Al software. These are my own words.

 

Otherwise, declaration statement 2 with accompanying acknowledgements i, ii, and iii is required:

 

2. I declare that parts of this submission have contributions from Al software and that it aligns with acceptable use as specified as part of the assignment brief/guidance and is consistent with good academic practice. The content can still be considered as my own words. I understand that as long as my use falls within the scope of appropriate use as defined in the assessment brief/guidance then this declaration will not have any direct impact on the grades awarded.  Below are details of the generative AI tool(s) and how I have used them.

 I acknowledge use of [generative AI tool]: 

Provide information for each of the bullets and provide information from (i,ii,iii) as applicable.

In the acknowledgement statement 2, use the format below to identify what tool and how you used it.

• Name, version (if available), and provider of the generative AI I tool used (e.g. Copilot, Microsoft)
• URL of the tool used (e.g. https://copilot.microsoft.com).
• A short description of how the generative AI tool was used in the assignment.  Below are three broad ways (i,ii,iii) to describe stages in the assignment process.  Use as many as are applicable.

                                       i.        Generate ideas or structure suggestions, for assistance with understanding core concepts, or other substantial foundational and preparatory activity.

                                      ii.        Write, rewrite, rephrase and/or paraphrase part of this essay.

                                     iii.        Generate some other aspect of the submitted assessment. 

Note: Using software for English grammar and spell checking is consistent with Declaration Statement 1, however rephrasing and rewriting are considered ii acknowledgement statements.  Please also note that so long as acknowledged use falls within the scope of appropriate use as defined in the assessment brief/guidance then such acknowledgement statements will not have any direct impact on the grades awarded.

 

Declaration statements should be selected, completed, and appended to the references or somewhere prominent in the submission.

 Prompt List: A list of all prompts entered into any large language model must be provided.  We suggest these are included as an appendix.

 

Citing Al Use

By including in-text citations and reference list entries, you acknowledge the use of Al tools in your work, allowing for proper evaluation and attribution.

Additionally, it is essential that you follow any specific guidelines or requirements provided by your institution or course instructors regarding the use and referencing of Al tools in academic work.  

The examples below are only applicable to a limited number of referencing styles at Royal Holloway.  RHUL Library recommends consulting Cite Them Right for your department’s referencing style.

In-Text Citation: If you have used an Al language model or tool for a specific section or part of your work, you can include an in-text citation.  Below are a few examples:

 

"The following paragraph was generated with the assistance of [Al Tool Name]:"

 

[Al-generated orAl-assisted content]

 

You can replace "[AI Tool Name]" with the actual name of the Al language model or tool you used, such as "ChatGPT" or "GPT-3".

 

Reference List Entry: Additionally, you should include a reference entry for the Al tool(s) you used in the reference list or bibliography section of your work. Below are examples of how such a reference may be formatted:

 

Al Tool Name. (Year). [Description of the Al tool]. Retrieved from [URL or source information]

 

For instance, if you used ChatGPT, your reference entry might look like this:

 

ChatGPT. (2023). Language model for natural language processing tasks. Retrieved from https://chat.openai.com/

 

For guidance on how to reference generative Al tools in specific referencing styles, visit how to reference a generative Al output on 'Cite Them Right’. To access ‘Cite Them Right’, click ‘Log in’ at the top right side of the webpage and select ‘Log in via your institution’ and choose ‘Royal Holloway’. Then follow the usual login process.