If AI Helped, Say So: Honest Citations for School

When you use a book or website for a school project, you cite it. Same idea for AI: if AI helped you understand or organize your work, mention it.

Some examples

• 'I used a chatbot to help me understand why volcanoes erupt.'
• 'I asked AI to suggest 3 main topics for my report, then I researched each one.'
• 'AI summarized this article for me; I used the original article as my main source.'
• 'AI helped me brainstorm ideas, but I wrote the report myself.'

Try it!

Talk to a teacher or grown-up: 'How do you want me to mention if AI helped my work?' Their answer might surprise you. Now you have a clear rule to follow.

Practice this safely

Try this with a low-stakes example and a trusted adult nearby. The goal is to notice how AI talks about citation, not to let it make the decision for you.

1. 1Ask AI to explain citation in plain language, then underline anything that sounds uncertain or too broad.
2. 2Give it one detail from "If AI Helped, Say So: Honest Citations for School" and ask for two possible next steps plus one reason each step might be wrong.
3. 3Check honesty against a trusted source, teacher, adult, expert, or original document before you use it.