An AI acknowledgement should name the tool you used, explain what you did with it and say how its output affected your essay. First check that the help was allowed. Then follow your assignment's instructions for AI-use statements and references.
Say what you actually did. A statement does not make banned help acceptable. A detector score cannot replace an AI-use statement.
Check what was allowed
Read the assignment's rules on AI use, statements and citations. If you already used a feature and are unsure whether it was allowed, ask your teacher how to proceed. Do not claim you followed the rules before checking.
For example, the University of Melbourne's acknowledgement guidance asks students to describe the tools, their use and available records when AI use is allowed. Your own course may ask for different details or a specific form.
Write down the help you received
Use these questions to prepare your statement:
- Which tool and feature did you use?
- When did you use it: planning, drafting, editing, translation or another step?
- What did you ask it to do?
- Which suggestions or outputs did you keep, change or reject?
- What checks did you actually make?
- Which records do you have, if the assignment asks for them?
Be specific. "I used a writing assistant" does not explain whether you fixed punctuation or kept generated paragraphs. Include dates or version details if the course asks for them.
Adapt an example to what you did
This fictional example is for a task that allows AI help with brainstorming. It will not fit every course:
I used [tool name] to suggest questions about my initial essay plan. I chose two questions to guide further reading and wrote the submitted paragraphs myself. I checked the references against the original sources. I have kept the conversation from this planning step.
Keep only statements that are true. If the tool wrote text that you kept, say so. If you did not keep a conversation, do not promise to provide it. Use the required course wording where it differs from this example.
Check whether you also need citations
An acknowledgement explains the help you received. A citation identifies a source or material used in the essay. Depending on what you included and the required referencing style, you may need both.
Adding a tool to the bibliography may not meet a separate AI-use statement requirement. A statement also does not replace missing citations to original sources. Check quotations and references against material you have read.
Put the statement where your course asks
Your course may require a cover sheet, a form, an appendix or a statement in the document. Follow those instructions, including any word-count rules. If the location is unclear, ask.
For group work, agree on an accurate account of the help used across the submission. Follow the group statement rules. Check with the other members before making a statement about their work.
Review the essay and statement together
Make sure the statement matches the version you will hand in. Keep the drafts and records your course requires. Avoid sharing confidential material unnecessarily.
If you are unsure how to describe an editing feature, read whether a grammar checker counts as AI. For a wider review before you submit, read how to check your essay for AI. A low detector score never replaces an honest statement about the help you used.