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As with any source used in a piece of work, Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, Copilot) must be acknowledged and referenced in the usual way with a citation and reference list entry. |
Guidance on referencing AI generative tools is continuing to evolve and is likely to change. Please keep checking this page for any updates (page last updated 10 September 2025).
Before beginning any piece of work, check with your lecturer that it is appropriate to use AI tools in your assignment as this may differ across modules and courses of study.
For more information on the use of AI, visit the Library's Artificial Intelligence guide and the University's Generative Artificial Intelligence Webpage - Guidance on use of AI tools for students.
If the generative AI material is available online and retrievable by the reader, you can reference and cite as follows:
Reference List
The required elements for the reference are:
Name of AI company. (Year) Title of work. [Medium]. Available at: URL [Accessed date].
| Example of the full reference at the end of your assignment: |
Shutterstock AI. (2023) Photo of pond with lotus flower. [Digital art]. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-generated/photo-pond-lotus-flow- er-2252080005 [Accessed 10 September 2025].
In-text citation
Use AI company's name, followed by year:
Example 1 - where the AI company's name occurs naturally in the sentence
Shutterstock AI. (2023) shows the beautiful lotus ...
In-text citation
Example 2 - where the AI company's name does not occur naturally in the sentence
... the display of pink lotus (Shutterstock AI 2023).
If the information is only accessible to you (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot) and the reader cannot retrieve the content, reference as a personal communication, including a description of the AI generated material in your in-text citation.
Use the company as the author, not the tool's name e.g., OpenAI rather than ChatGPT or Microsoft rather than Copilot.
It is recommended that a copy of the prompts/questions along with the responses are included in the appendices.
Each new prompt/question and response will need a separate appendix.
Reference List
The required elements for the reference are:
Name of AI.
(Year of communication)
Medium of communication
Receiver of communication,
Day/month of communication.
Example of the full reference at the end of your assignment:
Microsoft. (2025) Microsoft Copilot response to Joyce Retnaraj, 10 September.
In-text citation
When paraphrasing or summarising the generative AI's response, follow this format below.
AI company's name followed by year.
Example - where the company's name occurs naturally in the sentence
When prompted to suggest some examples of sustainable methods of waste management in the construction industry, the Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 2025) response included a number of suggestions that highlighted the importance of construction pre-planning. See Appendix 1.
Quotations
If using the generative AI's exact wording treat as a quotation.
If the quotation is less than a line, include it in the sentence with double quotation marks.
Example 1:
When prompted on Library information skills, ChatGPT responded "Library information skills encompass a range of abilities" (OpenAI 2025). See Appendix 2.
If the quotation is more than a line, include it in the body of the text in double quotation marks, indented from the left and single-line spacing.
Example 2:
"Library information skills, also known as information literacy skills, are the abilities and competencies that individuals develop to effectively find, evaluate, use, and communicate information from various sources, particularly in a library setting". (OpenAI 2025). See Appendix 4.
If the content (text, image, video, code, music, etc.) prompted by you is available for the reader through an URL, include description of the prompts in your reference list with the shareable URL.
Reference List
The required elements for the reference are:
Name of AI company.
(Year of communication)
AI-generated [medium] by ... with prompt '...'
Day/month of communication
Available at: DOI or URL [Accessed date]
Example of the full reference at the end of your assignment:
OpenAI. (2025) AI-generated text by ChatGPT with prompt 'what is the impact of gut microbiome in mental health?', 10 September. https://chatgpt.com/share/68c174fe-b12c-8013-a33f-dca71924e0cc [Accessed 10 September 2025].
In-text citation
Example - where the company's name occurs naturally in the sentence
When prompted for the impact of gut microbiome, ChatGPT (2025) mentioned that ...
If referencing the AI tool itself, follow the format to reference it as a web based Computer Program/Software.
Microsoft. (2023) Microsoft Copilot. [Software]. Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot [Accessed 10 September 2025].
If using a different referencing style to LHS Harvard, please contact your subject librarians.