How to Disclose AI Use in an Assignment: Examples and Checklist

An AI-use disclosure should explain what a tool did and what you did. Start by checking whether that use was permitted for the assignment. Then describe the assistance accurately, identify the affected parts of the work and follow your instructor's required format.

There is no single statement that satisfies every course. These examples are starting points to adapt, not permission to use AI or a substitute for your institution's rules.

Permission, disclosure and citation are different

Permission answers “May I use this assistance?” Disclosure answers “How did I use it?” Citation identifies a source or output under the relevant referencing rules. A well-written disclosure cannot turn an otherwise prohibited use into an allowed one.

Cornell's AI attribution guidance explains that instructors can request different kinds of documentation, including an explanatory statement, reflection or transcript. The MLA likewise distinguishes a fuller description of AI use from a citation alone. Check the instructions for this assignment rather than assuming another class uses the same approach.

If the policy is unclear, ask a concrete question before using the tool: “May I use it to suggest an outline if I write the analysis myself?” That is more useful than asking whether “AI” is allowed in general.

Build a short assistance record as you work

Keep a note for each meaningful use. Record the tool name, date, task, output you retained and checks you performed. Include the model/version if it is available; do not guess one from an interface label.

An original working note might look like this:

• Task: generate questions to consider when comparing two public-transport proposals.
• Retained: two questions used to organize my research notes.
• Not retained: a suggested statistic that I could not verify.
• My work: read the council reports, chose the evidence and wrote the comparison.

Keep any required prompts or transcripts privately. Do not publish an entire chat merely to make a disclosure convenient if it contains personal, confidential or third-party material. Ask how to provide a relevant excerpt through the approved submission process.

Example 1: brainstorming assistance

Use wording like this only if it accurately describes your process and the assignment permits that assistance:

I used [tool name] on [date] to suggest possible questions about [topic]. I selected [question] and developed the argument from the sources listed in my references. I wrote the submitted analysis. No generated draft passages were included.

Do not use the last sentence if you kept generated phrasing. Replace broad claims such as “AI helped a little” with the actual task it performed.

Example 2: grammar and wording suggestions

I wrote the draft and used [tool name] on [date] to suggest changes to grammar and wording in [sections]. I reviewed the suggestions and retained [brief description]. The tool also proposed [a substantive change, if applicable]; I [accepted or rejected] that change for [reason].

The important distinction is what happened, not what the product calls the feature. Rewriting an argument is different from correcting a typo. Describe substantive changes even if they came from a button labelled “improve writing.”

Example 3: permitted generated draft material

With the permission described in [assignment rule], I used [tool name] on [date] to produce a draft of [specific section]. I retained [scope of material], revised [changes] and checked [claims or calculations] against [sources or method]. The required prompt/output record is provided in [approved location].

This is a disclosure example, not a formatted APA, MLA or Chicago reference. If your course requires a formal citation as well, use its prescribed style. Check underlying sources directly; an AI-generated reference can be inaccurate. Our citation verification checklist separates finding a source from checking whether it supports a claim.

What should I check before submitting?

1. My stated use matches the assignment's permission and documentation rules.
2. My description names the actual tasks and affected sections.
3. Claims about work I did myself are accurate.
4. References point to sources I checked, not merely suggestions from a chatbot.
5. Required records are included without unnecessary private information.
6. The declaration is in the requested location, and I know whether it counts toward the assignment word limit.

If you need to count the essay and declaration separately, use a word counter on each portion. Do not assume every course includes appendices and declarations in its limit.

Does a low AI-detector score remove the need to disclose?

No. Disclosure depends on your actual process and the applicable rules, not the score. A detector cannot reliably reconstruct which tool you used or which suggestions you accepted. Certaffy for education can support a writing-review workflow, but a report is not an AI-use declaration or proof of policy compliance.

Prepared with AI assistance for Certaffy. Sources checked on October 22, 2026. All statements above are original illustrative templates; adapt them truthfully to the rules that apply to your work.