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APA 7th referencing style

This guide helps you to reference according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition).

Using AI in your assignments

Coursework students

Check your course profile for each assessment item to find out if AI use is allowed. AI use will be specified for each assessment task. Check with your course coordinator if you are unsure of any requirements. 

AI for assessment contains guidance on using AI responsibly.

Any use of AI in assessment must be acknowledged or referenced. Your course profile will have guidance on how you should acknowledge any permitted use of AI in your assessments. You may be asked to acknowledge AI use through:

  • assignment cover sheet 
  • form, template or table.

You may also need to cite or reference AI content using a particular referencing style.

Higher Degree by Research students

If you are a Higher Degree by Research student, consult your advisor before using AI tools in the research and writing of your thesis, and follow the advice provided in the Thesis preliminary pages template.

If you use AI in your assessment without permission or appropriate acknowledgment, it may be considered Academic Misconduct.

Reference AI use

References should provide an accurate description of each source and indicate where they have been used in your work.

  1. Check the referencing style used in your course for how to cite AI content.
  2. If there are no specific guidelines, use the rule for personal communication or correspondence.

Where the AI output includes sources, it is recommended that you cite these directly rather than citing the output itself. Find quality information can help you understand the best information for your assignments and research.

APA 7th

Based on APA Style guidance.

In-text

Author of AI model, Year of version used

Example:

(OpenAI, 2022)

OpenAI (2022)

(Microsoft, 2025)

Microsoft (2025)

Reference list

Author of AI model used. (Year of AI model used). Name of AI model used (Version of AI model used) [Type or description of AI model used]. Web address of AI model used

Example:

OpenAI. (2022). ChatGPT (Dec 20 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/

Microsoft. (2025). Copilot [Large language model]. https://copilot.cloud.microsoft/

The full transcript of a response can be included in an appendix or other supplementary materials.

Visit How to cite ChatGPT for more information.

Acknowledge AI use

You must acknowledge where you used AI in assessment, including where you have directly quoted or paraphrased AI-generated content or used tools to summarise readings, brainstorm ideas, plan your process, or for editing or proofreading purposes. 

You may be asked to acknowledge AI using a cover sheet, form, template or table.

The following information should be included when acknowledging the use of AI tools:

  • AI tool (e.g. Copilot, Chat-GPT, Claude, Google AI)
  • description of how you used the tool (e.g. edited/corrected/translated/planned/brainstormed)
  • prompt(s) used
  • part, section or page of the assessment piece
  • date.

Example coversheet

This coversheet is an example of good practice in acknowledging the use of AI tools. Courses across UQ may have specific guidance you should follow on how to acknowledge the use of AI.

Acknowledgment

Yes. AI and/or machine translation tools have been used to generate material in this document.

Details of use

Tool Use Prompt(s) Section Date
ChatGPT 4o Initial idea generation that I adapted Brainstorm ideas around how sustainable development goals can be applied locally Framework on p 18 25 October 2024
Claude 3.5 Generating a draft conclusion that I adapted Provide a summary of Chapters 3, 4, and 5 Conclusions (p 30, 31)   25 October 2024
Grammarly EDU  Used to check spelling and grammar and edit my final document Enhance my text to improve clarity and expression Entire work 8 November 2024
Microsoft Copilot Used to modify the written tone/style of the introduction Rewrite this paragraph so that the tone is appropriate for a university assignment   Introduction (p 2) 8 November 2024
Microsoft Copilot Generating images for analysis Create an image of a highly effective suburban park Introduction (p 1) 28 March 2025

Acknowledging and referencing AI