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MLA 8th Edition: Generative Artificial Intelligence/ ChatGPT

Generative AI Technology

Referencing AI Generated Text

If a student has permission from their lecturer to engage with artificial intelligence models for a particular assessment task, then they ‘‘… should use AI models in ethical and responsible ways that are consistent with their institution’s learning, assessment and academic integrity policies and procedures, and the terms of use of the AI providers’’ (Australian Academic Integrity Network Generative AI Working Group).

Avondale University continues to encourage students to utilise a variety of resources, including textbooks, academic journals, and expert opinions, in order to develop their own ideas and perspectives. As with any information source, the use of ChatGPT for academic assignments should be in accordance with Avondale’s Academic Integrity Policy. Plagiarism, including the use of AI-generated content without a proper citation is taken seriously and can result in disciplinary action. We recognise that ChatGPT and other technologies can be useful tools for academic discussions and idea generation, but that these need to be used in connection with other sources and in accordance with Avondale University’s Academic Integrity Policy (CASTL).

   

Reference List

Australian Academic Integrity Network Generative AI Working Group. "AAIN Generative Artificial Intelligence Guidelines." Tertiary Education Quality and Standard Agency, Mar 2023, https://www.teqsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-04/aain-generative-ai-guidelines.pdf

CASTL. Academic Integrity and A.I. Avondale University, Apr 2023.

  • Cite a generative AI tool every time you use one in your work, whether paraphrasing, quoting or using any generated content in your own work. It is a breach of Academic Integrity to falsify that Generative AI is your work. This is considered plagiarism
  •  It is a breach of Academic Integrity to use Generative AI for assessment tasks if you have not been instructed to use it or gained permission from your lecturer to use it
  • If you have used an AI tool to edit, translate, or any other functional use acknowledge this use by using notes within your text or another location somewhere in your work
  • Not all sources used by AI tools are legitimate- take the time to check and evaluate them. Don't just assume they are correct.

MLA Referencing Template

Author: MLA does not recommend treating the AI Tool as an author.

Title of Source: This is the description of what was generated by the AI Tool. This may involve including information about the prompt used to generate the answer.

Title of Container: This is where the name of the Software used is placed (eg. ChatGTP)

Version: Software is always being updated. Name the version of the AI Tool, as this can assign a date to the tool (eg. ChatGTP 3.5)

Publisher: Name the company that made the tool

Date: This is the date on which you generated the content

Location: Give the general URL for the tool. Some AI Tools provide a unique URL for the conversation, use this. If the software doesn't provide a unique URL use the general URL for the AI Tool

Reference List

MLA Style Center. "How do I Cite Generative AI in MLA Style."  17th March 2023, https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/#Note

 

 

Reference List In-text Citation

"Title of source". Title of Container, version, Publisher, Date, Location

 

"Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald" prompt. ChatGTP 3.5 version, Open AI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

 

In the above example, the prompt or question asked within ChatGPT was, "Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald."

Shorten title of source

 

("Describe the symbolism")

 

Reference List In-text Citation

" Title of Source" prompt. Title of Container, Version, Publisher, Date, Location.

"In 200 words, describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby" follow-up prompt to list sources. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 9 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

 

A more detailed description of the prompts can be given (eg. follow-up prompt to list sources); however, a more general one, such as "Symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby" could be used. 

Shortened title of source

("In 200 words")

 

Reference List In-text Citation

If the caption of the illustration provides complete bibliographic details, and the source is not cited in the text, no entry is needed in the Reference list.

Fig. number. Shortened title of source prompt, Title of Container, version, Publisher, Date, Location.

Fig. 4. "Pointillist painting of a mountain scene" prompt, Hotpot AI Art Generator, 2023, Panabee, 14 Apr. 2023, https://hotpot.ai.

If including the source in the Reference List

Title of Source" prompt. Title of Container, version, Publisher, Date, Location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Pointillist painting of an ocean scene" prompt. Hotpot AI Art Generator, 2023, Panabee, 14 Apr. 2023, https://hotpot.ai.

If including the source in the Reference List

Fig. number. Shortened title of source, Title of Container, date.

 

Fig. 4. "Pointillist painting of an ocean scene" Hotpot, 2023.

 

If you ask a generative AI tool to create a work, like a poem, how you cite it will depend on whether you assign a title to it.

 

Reference List In-text Citation
Prompt- a villanelle poem called "The Sunflower" that describes a sunflower
"Title of Source", prompt. Title of Container, version, Publisher, Date, Location. Shortened title of source
"The Sunflower" villanelle about a sunflower, prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat. ("The Sunflower")
Prompt- a Shakespearean sonnet about seeing the ocean
"Part or all of the first line into the description of the work in the Title of the Source", prompt. Title of Container, Version, Publisher, Date, Location. Shortened title of source
"Upon the shore..." Shakespearean sonnet about seeing the ocean, prompt. ChaptGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, char.openai.com/chat. ("Upon the shore..." Shakespearean sonnet)

A secondary or indirect source refers to another author's content quoted by the author you are reading. For example, Bing AI Chat quotes a section of text from Jane Austen's writing.

 

Secondary source guidelines:

  • Use secondary sources only if the primary source is unattainable, eg. out of print or in another language
  • Always try to find, read and cite directly from the primary source
  • Be hypervigilant when using AI-generated secondary sources- AI generators do not always cite sources correctly or accurately

Reference List In text citation
"Title of Source" prompt. Title of Container, version, Publisher, Date, Location. (qtd. in Shortened title of source)
"Explain the Concept of the Political Unconscious, citing sources" prompt. Bing AI Chat, 2023 version, Microsoft Bing, 14 Apr. 2023, https://bing.com/chat. (qtd. in "Explain the Concept of the Political Unconscious")
OR
"Title of Source" prompt. Title of Container, version, Publisher, Date, Location.
"Explain the Concept of the Political Unconscious, citing sources" prompt. Bing AI Chat, 2023 version, Microsoft Bing, 14 Apr. 2023, https://bing.com/chat.                                                                                                                                                             Oxford Reference (qtd. in "Explain the Concept") claims

 

Helpful Resources

Avondale University Academic Integrity Policy

Academic Integrity Policy - Avondale Policies - Confluence (atlassian.net)

Artificial Intelligence: Advice for Students

Artificial intelligence: Advice for students | Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (teqsa.gov.au)

What are the limitations of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT has several limitations, as listed below:

  • It is not creative in a human sense
  • It is not self-aware
  • It summarises information without providing references to sources or citations
  • It cannot judge when information is correct or not
  • It does not possess critical thinking skills
  • It has been trained using online content which only existed prior to 2022
  • It has biases inherent from its programmers and users
  • It cannot hold copyright or be assigned intellectual property
  • It is not able to make ethical decisions or value judgments
  • It is prone to ‘hallucinations’, meaning that it sometimes fabricates facts and makes errors in reasoning (Cochran and Ryan 1)

Cochran, Thomas and Traci Ryan. "ChatGPT Academic Integrity: Options for Adopting Assessment in Semester 1 2023." Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, Mar 2023, https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/4533218/ChatGPT-and-Academic-Integrity.pdf