Note to Students

The Library cautions the use of Generative AI works, such as ChatGPT, when completing research assignments. Generative AI may use works from books, articles, websites and blogs to generate a response. In many cases the sources are not properly cited in the generated text. This is considered plagiarism.

Oakland Community College Policy on Academic Honesty

All students are expected to complete a course in compliance with the Instructor's standards. No student shall engage in any activity involving any violations in the Oakland Community College Policy on Academic Honesty.

Before you use any AI tool, ask yourself:

Is using this tool in compliance with the course instructor’s standards?
Does using this tool undermine your “honest effort” in this course to receive a grade?

If you have any doubts, it is best to ask your instructor, and keep in mind that each course may have different standards of what might be acceptable.

If you are permitted to use an AI tool in your work and you have made the decision to use one, it may be a good idea to acknowledge your use as follows:

Which tool(s) did you use?
How did you use the tool (for what purpose, in what sections, etc.)?
How did you prompt the tool?
When did you use the tool?

Hallucinated Resources

Generative AI can produce information that sounds accurate but is actually incorrect. This is known as a “hallucination.” It happens because the AI predicts what seems likely based on patterns in data, rather than verifying facts.

Makes up fake citations - creates author names, journal titles, publication dates that sound real but don't exist
Mixes real elements - might use a real author's name but invent a fake paper title, or use a real journal but fake article
Gets details wrong - real source exists but AI gives wrong page numbers, publication year, or completely different content
Creates plausible-sounding sources - follows academic citation formats perfectly, making fakes look legitimate
AI can also make up statistics, historical events, scientific facts, or citations.

Why this happens: AI doesn't actually "look up" sources like you would. It's predicting what text should come next based on patterns it learned, so it generates citations that seem right but aren't connected to real information.

Real example: AI might cite "Johnson, M. (2023). Climate Policy Impacts on Rural Communities. Journal of Environmental Studies, 45(3), 127-142" - sounds totally legit, follows proper format, but could be completely invented.

For students: This is why professors often say "verify all AI-generated sources" and why many schools have strict policies about AI use in research. Check your sources with an OCC Faculty Librarian to ensure accuracy.

MLA (Modern Language Association) AI Citation

MLA: AI Citation Format 
“Prompt”. AI Tool and version. Company. Date of use. URL.

MLA: AI Citation Examples:
“Cite ChatGPT in MLA style” ChatGPT 4. OpenAI. March 2nd 2024. 
        https://openai.com/chatgpt  

“Cite ChatGPT in MLA style” Co-Pilot. Microsoft. March 2nd 2024. 
        https://copilot.microsoft.com/

For more information, please visit the MLA cite on "How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?"

APA (American Psychological Association) AI Citation

APA: AI Citation Format 
Creator/Company (Year). Title and version of tool used (date of use) [AI Model]. URL 

APA: AI Citation Examples 
OpenAI (2024). ChatGPT 4 (March 2nd) [large language model]. 
        https://openai.com/chatgpt 

Microsoft (2024). Co-Pilot (March 2nd) [large language model]. 
        https://copilot.microsoft.com/

For more information, please visit the APA cite on "How to cite ChatGPT - APA Style."

For more information

Visit How To Cite Sources: Citing Generative AI Sources