Citations, References, and Academic Integrity

The Citation Minefield

In the previous lesson, we synthesized literature reviews. Now let’s build on that foundation with the skill that can make or break your academic reputation: proper citation.

Getting citations wrong isn’t just an error. In academia, it’s an integrity issue. A fabricated citation can end careers. A missing citation is plagiarism. An incorrectly formatted reference signals sloppiness to reviewers.

AI makes citation management faster but also introduces new risks. This lesson teaches you to get the speed benefits while avoiding the traps.

Citation Styles at a Glance

Every field has its preferred format. The content of a citation is the same; only the formatting differs.

Don’t memorize formatting rules. Use a reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley) to format automatically. Focus your energy on ensuring the citation information is correct.

AI Citation Risks: The Hallucination Problem

AI’s most dangerous academic behavior: generating plausible-looking citations for papers that never existed.

What Hallucinated Citations Look Like:

Smith, J., & Johnson, K. (2023). The impact of remote collaboration
on team creativity. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 45(2), 112-128.

This looks completely real. Author names, journal name, volume, pages—all plausible. But it might be entirely fabricated.

The Verification Protocol:

For every AI-suggested citation:

1. Search the exact title in Google Scholar or your database
2. Verify the authors actually wrote this paper
3. Confirm the journal published this specific article
4. Check the DOI (if provided) by visiting doi.org/[DOI]
5. Read the paper to confirm AI’s characterization is accurate

AI: I need to cite research about [topic]. Suggest 5 real, verifiable
academic papers I should look for.

IMPORTANT: Only suggest papers you're confident actually exist.
For each, provide:
- Authors and year
- Approximate title (it's OK if not exact)
- Where I should look to find and verify it

I will verify every suggestion in an actual database before citing it.

Quick Check

An AI assistant suggests this citation: “Cognitive load theory and multimedia learning revisited by Chen, L. & Wang, M. (2024) in Educational Psychology Review, 36(1), 78-95.” What should your next step be?

When to Quote vs. Paraphrase vs. Summarize

AI-Assisted Paraphrasing:

I need to paraphrase this passage for my paper:

"[Original passage]" (Author, Year, p. X)

Paraphrase this in my own academic voice while:
1. Changing the sentence structure completely
2. Using different vocabulary (except technical terms)
3. Preserving the original meaning accurately
4. Keeping it suitable for a [field] research paper
5. Making it about the same length as the original

I will verify the paraphrase against the original for accuracy.

Critical rule: Always verify AI paraphrases against the original. AI might subtly change the meaning.

Building Your Bibliography

The Reference Manager Workflow:

1. Import citations from databases directly (one-click in Google Scholar, PubMed, etc.)
2. Attach PDF copies of papers to each reference
3. Tag by theme (matching your literature review structure)
4. Annotate with your notes on key findings
5. Export formatted bibliography when writing

AI-Assisted Bibliography Cleanup:

Here's my bibliography in APA 7th edition format:

[Paste bibliography]

Check for:
1. Formatting inconsistencies (italics, capitalization, punctuation)
2. Missing elements (DOIs, volume numbers, page ranges)
3. Entries that look incomplete
4. Alphabetization errors
5. Any formatting that doesn't match APA 7th rules

Note: I will verify all corrections against my reference manager.

Self-Plagiarism and Reuse

A less-discussed integrity issue: reusing your own previous work.

What Counts as Self-Plagiarism:

• Submitting the same paper to two classes or journals
• Copying large sections from your previous papers without citation
• Recycling your own published content as new material

What’s Acceptable:

• Building on your own published ideas (with self-citation)
• Reusing your methodology section framework (with disclosure)
• Developing themes from your earlier work into new arguments

AI Disclosure and Institutional Policies

Academic norms around AI use are evolving. Protect yourself:

Check Your Institution’s Policy:

• Some ban all AI use in writing
• Some allow AI for research but not drafting
• Some require disclosure of AI assistance
• Policies change frequently—check before submitting

When in Doubt, Disclose:

Add a note in your methodology or acknowledgments:

"AI tools (specifically [tool name]) were used to assist with
[literature searching / outline generation / language editing].
All intellectual contributions, arguments, and analysis are the author's own.
All citations were verified against original sources."

Common Citation Mistakes

Exercise: Citation Audit

Take a section of your current writing:

1. Check every citation against the original source
2. Verify any AI-suggested references exist in Google Scholar
3. Ensure direct quotes have page numbers
4. Confirm paraphrases accurately represent the original
5. Format your bibliography using your reference manager

Key Takeaways

• AI can hallucinate citations—verify every AI-suggested reference in an actual database
• Use reference managers (Zotero, Mendeley) for formatting—focus your effort on accuracy
• Quote when exact wording matters; paraphrase for findings and context
• AI-assisted paraphrases must be verified against the original for accuracy
• Check your institution’s AI disclosure policy before submitting any work
• Citation integrity is reputation integrity in academia—there are no minor citation errors

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Thesis Structure and Argumentation.