Updated AI refencing guidelines

If you've been wondering how to reference AI in your assignments, the guidance has changed. The NMIT Library has updated its advice to align with the latest APA guidelines(external link), making it clearer when AI needs to be referenced – and when it doesn't.

What's changed?

Many AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, can now generate stable links to individual conversations. This means you can cite specific AI chats using the standard APA author-date-title-source format, just like other online sources.

For example:

• Anthropic. (2025, May 20). Essential grammar topics for high school graduates [Generative AI chat]. Claude Sonnet 4. https://claude.ai/share/329173b2-ec93-4663-ac68-4f65ea4f166dopens in new window(external link)
• Google. (2025, May 22). High school grammar concepts overview [Generative AI chat]. Gemini 2.5 Flash.  https://g.co/gemini/share/a1306ce12929(external link)

Your in-text citations also follow standard APA style, such as:

• Parenthetical: ....... (Anthropic, 2025)
• Narrative: According to Anthropic (2025) .....

When don't you need to reference AI?

The updated APA guidance also makes it clear that you don't need to reference AI when you're using it as a tool rather than as a source of information. This includes using AI for:

• brainstorming ideas
• searching for information
• checking spelling and grammar
• refining your writing
• retrieving information that you'll verify from other sources.

As always, if you're using AI-generated content or ideas directly in your work, you should reference it appropriately.

Find out more

The updated guidance is now available on the NMIT Library website(external link), and these examples will also be included in the next edition of the NMIT Referencing Guide.

Before submitting your next assignment, take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with the new guidance so you can reference AI confidently and correctly.