Cite Sources (Author, Title, URL, Date) Including AI Assists
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What you will learn
- 1Identify the four core citation elements: author, title, URL, and date
- 2Name the key citation fields for a book, website, article, video, and AI tool
- 3Explain why AI-generated content requires acknowledgment in academic work
- 4Explain how citing sources protects academic integrity and credits original creators
Mini Lesson
Every time you use information from a source — whether it is a book, a website, a video, a journal article, or an AI tool — you must cite it. A citation tells your reader exactly where the information came from and lets them verify it. Citing sources also protects you from plagiarism: taking credit for someone else's ideas, even accidentally.
The Four Core Citation Elements
- Author — Who created the content? (a person's name, or the organization or site name if no person is named)
- Title — What is the specific piece called? (article headline, book title, video title, page name)
- URL — Where can it be found online? (full web address for digital sources)
- Date — When was it published or last updated? (year, or full date if available; "n.d." if not given)
Why Source Type Matters
- Book: Author, Title (italicized), Publisher, Year — no URL needed unless it is an e-book.
- Website: Author or Organization, "Page title," Site name, URL, Date accessed.
- Journal article: Author, "Article title," Journal name (italicized), Volume(Issue), Year, DOI or URL.
- Video: Creator, "Video title," Platform (e.g. YouTube), URL, Upload date.
- AI tool: "Conversation with [AI name]," Prompt used (brief description), Date of conversation — you cannot cite a URL because AI outputs are not stable or retrievable by others.
You found information on a NASA page called "About the Solar System" when you visited it on March 12, 2024.
How would you cite this website?
Author (organization) → "Title" → Site name → URL → access date. Each element is separated by a period or comma depending on style.
Citing AI Tools
- AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude (made for ages 13+, so use them only with a grown-up beside you) generate text based on your prompt — they are sources of information and ideas.
- You must acknowledge when you used an AI tool, just as you would acknowledge any other source.
- Because AI responses are not stored at a fixed URL, you describe the prompt and the date instead of giving a link.
- Example: "Conversation with ChatGPT (OpenAI), prompted 'Explain photosynthesis for Grade 6,' 15 April 2025."
- Check every AI answer against a reliable source, and keep a copy of the AI output in case a grown-up asks to see it — no one else can retrieve it.
Academic Integrity
- Plagiarism means using someone else's words or ideas without giving them credit.
- Using ideas from a website without citing it is plagiarism — even if you paraphrase.
- Using AI-generated text as if it were your own writing is also a form of academic dishonesty.
- Correct citations show that your research is honest, thorough, and verifiable.
Words to know
citation
A formatted reference that gives credit to the source of information used in your writing.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator — the full web address of a digital source.
date accessed
The date you visited a webpage, recorded because online content can change or be removed.
plagiarism
Using someone else's words, ideas, or work without giving them credit.
academic integrity
The commitment to honest, ethical academic work — including properly crediting all sources.
AI acknowledgment
A note in your work that identifies when and how you used an AI tool as a source or writing aid.
Tip: build your citations as you research — do not wait until the end. Each time you copy a URL or note a fact, record the author, title, URL, and date right away. Reconstructing this information later wastes time and leads to errors.
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