Citations, References, and Academic Integrity

Citations are where AI-assisted writing is most likely to go wrong. AI generates plausible-sounding references that don’t exist. It formats citations inconsistently. It doesn’t know your journal’s specific requirements. And failing to properly cite AI use itself can trigger academic misconduct reviews.

This lesson makes your citations bulletproof.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you drafted Results and Discussion sections. Now you’ll ensure every source is properly cited, AI use is disclosed, and your paper meets integrity standards.

Citing AI-Generated Content

When you use AI to assist your writing, you must cite it. Here’s how across the three major formats:

APA 7th Edition

In-text: “When prompted to explain [topic], the AI noted that…” (OpenAI, 2026)

Reference entry:

OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (Feb 24 version) [Large language model].
    https://chat.openai.com

Or for Claude:

Anthropic. (2026). Claude (Opus 4.6 version) [Large language model].
    https://claude.ai

Additional requirements: Describe the prompt you used in the text, a footnote, or supplementary materials.

MLA 9th Edition

"Description of what was generated" prompt. ChatGPT, version GPT-4o,
    OpenAI, 24 Feb. 2026, chat.openai.com.

MLA treats AI output like a generated work — include the prompt as part of the citation.

Chicago 17th Edition

Footnote:

1. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, February 24, 2026,
   https://chat.openai.com.

Note: Chicago recommends citing AI in footnotes/endnotes rather than the bibliography, since AI output is non-recoverable.

✅ Quick Check: You used Claude to help edit three paragraphs in your Discussion section, improving grammar and sentence flow. Do you need to cite this? (Answer: It depends on the journal’s policy and degree of AI contribution. Light editing assistance is similar to using Grammarly — many institutions don’t require citation. But substantial rewriting or content generation does. When in doubt, disclose. It’s better to over-disclose than under-disclose.)

The Hallucinated Reference Problem

AI-generated references are the #1 integrity risk in AI-assisted academic writing. Models create citations that look real:

• Real-sounding author names
• Plausible journal titles
• Correct-looking formatting
• Reasonable years

But the paper doesn’t exist. If a reviewer or reader checks and finds a fake reference, your credibility is destroyed.

Verification Protocol

For every reference in your paper:

REFERENCE VERIFICATION CHECKLIST:
□ Searched title in Google Scholar — paper found ✓
□ Authors match exactly ✓
□ Year matches ✓
□ DOI resolves to correct paper ✓
□ Cited finding appears in the paper ✓
□ Finding is accurately represented ✓

Time investment: Budget 1-2 minutes per reference. For a 40-citation paper, that’s about an hour. This hour can save your academic career.

✅ Quick Check: You verify 38 of your 40 citations successfully, but two don’t show up in any database. What should you do? (Answer: Remove them. If you can’t find the paper, it likely doesn’t exist — it’s an AI hallucination. Either find real papers that support the same point or remove the claim. Never include a citation you can’t verify.)

Journal AI Policies

Journal policies on AI use vary significantly and are still evolving:

Before submitting: Check your target journal’s specific AI policy. These policies update frequently.

Writing the AI Disclosure Statement

Help me write an AI disclosure statement for [journal name].

AI tools I used:
- [Tool 1]: Used for [specific purpose]
- [Tool 2]: Used for [specific purpose]

The statement should follow [journal name]'s disclosure requirements
and emphasize that all content was reviewed, verified, and revised
by the authors.

Example disclosure:

“The authors used Claude (Anthropic) to assist with literature search organization and grammar editing of early drafts. All AI-generated suggestions were verified against primary sources by the authors. The authors take full responsibility for the content of this manuscript.”

Reference Management Best Practices

Using Zotero Effectively

1. Add papers immediately when you find them — don’t save for later
2. Use DOI import (preferred) — paste DOI, Zotero fetches metadata automatically
3. Tag papers by section — “lit-review,” “methods-reference,” “discussion-support”
4. Annotate with page numbers — note exactly where a finding appears
5. Generate bibliography using your journal’s citation style

AI for Citation Formatting

AI can help convert between citation styles:

Convert these references from APA to Chicago format:
[Paste references]

But always double-check — AI sometimes mangles citation formatting in subtle ways (wrong italics, missing volume numbers, incorrect author order).

Academic Integrity Checklist

Before submitting your paper:

INTEGRITY CHECKS:
□ Every citation verified against original source
□ No hallucinated references
□ AI use disclosed per journal requirements
□ AI-generated content properly cited (APA/MLA/Chicago)
□ Ran through plagiarism checker (Turnitin/iThenticate)
□ All data accurately represented
□ Co-authors reviewed and approved the manuscript
□ Institutional AI policy followed

Practice Exercise

1. Take 5 references from your paper and verify each using the checklist above
2. Write a proper APA citation for one AI interaction you’ve had during this course
3. Check your target journal’s AI policy and draft a disclosure statement
4. If you use Zotero, tag all your references by the section where they appear

Key Takeaways

• AI-generated content requires citation — APA, MLA, and Chicago each have specific formats
• Verify every reference: search the title, check authors, confirm the finding actually appears in the paper
• Budget 1-2 minutes per reference for verification — this protects your academic reputation
• Journal AI policies vary — check your target journal before submitting
• Write an honest AI disclosure statement specifying which tools you used and how
• Over-disclose rather than under-disclose AI assistance

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll learn to revise your paper using AI feedback, get peer input, and prepare a polished submission-ready manuscript.