Read the permission rules first
A course, institution, journal and research project may have different rules. Revising a draft, examining data and uploading someone else’s work are different actions. Check the relevant data policies before sharing personal or confidential research data.
The distinction in APA’s 2025 guidance
APA Style distinguishes a specific, shareable conversation that is useful to the reader from the general record of a tool. A conversation reference considers the company, conversation date, title, tool or model and link. Adding a version number to every use is not recommended as a default requirement; a model name can be provided where available.
A working template for the methods section
“[Tool/model] was used on [date] for [purpose]. [Type of input] was processed. The output was checked using [verification method]; [section] was rewritten by the researcher.”
This is a template to fill in, not a declaration that a use has occurred. Describe what you actually did in your own work. If you read the sources, cite those primary sources; a tool suggesting them does not replace them.
A final check
- Has every generated reference and quotation been compared with the original?
- Does a shared conversation contain confidential data?
- Is the disclosure included in the relevant part of the study?
- Does authorship responsibility rest with real people?
Sources and provenance
Source check / web edition: 14 October 2026. Historical documents retain their own original dates.
Describe two tasks separately even when the tool is the same
A single 'AI was used' sentence does not explain the work performed. Separate task, input and verification records. This is a fictional example, not a declaration about an actual study or tool session.
- Check the current rules of the institution, course or journal first. A citation format does not establish permission to use a tool.
- For each task, record tool/model, date, input type and how the output was used. Keep confidential or personal research data out of the example.
- Describe the checks a person actually completed. Do not call an unchecked source verified; separate unused suggestions from the final work.
Filled fictional record: task A requested an outline from three public headings; the author changed the proposed order. Task B compared two suggested references with the original publications; one could not be located and was omitted. 'All sources were verified by the tool' would misdescribe that record.
Record: task __; tool/model __; date __; input __; retained output __; human check __; excluded suggestion __. UNESCO's guidance supplies a general responsibility and data context; it does not replace institution-specific permission or the human author's responsibility for the text.
Source: www.unesco.org.