20 What You Need to Cite

So, what exactly do you need to cite in your paper?

As a rule of thumb, you need to cite what is not your own intellectual output. You don’t need to cite thoughts, ideas, data or creations that are your own and that are new and original (but remember to cite your own previous work if you got permission to reuse it, as described in the Chapter “Recycling”).

Source: (Miles, 2011; Imagerymajestic, 2012)

When it comes to AI, you should cite or disclose:

• Direct AI-generated content that you include in your work
• Ideas or concepts that originated from AI assistance
• Substantial revisions or improvements made by AI to your writing
• Data analysis or calculations performed by AI
• Any AI assistance when specifically required by your instructor

You typically don’t need to cite:

• Basic grammar and spell-checking by AI tools (unless instructor specifies otherwise)
• Simple formatting assistance
• Brief AI consultations that didn’t substantially influence your work (though check your instructor’s policy)

Be sure to cite all information you take from others, no matter what it is or where you got it from, whether it is from a printed source or from the Internet, whether it is something you saw on TV or heard on the radio, whether you got it from a tweet, a blog, a Facebook posting, PowerPoint slides, AI-generated content, or even a personal discussion.