Stellenbosch University AI Declaration, Filled In
Stellenbosch publishes two formats: an internal declaration that postgraduates discuss and sign with their supervisor, and an AI use table and checklist that its draft interim guidelines recommend with the plagiarism declaration. Pick the one you need, tick what you used AI for, and copy it.
Checked 4 October 2026 against Stellenbosch's postgraduate declaration and its draft interim guidelines. If your module gives its own form, use that.
Make your declaration
Internal record with your supervisor. For theses, dissertations and research assignments; discussed and signed with your supervisor.
Stellenbosch University: Internal Student Declaration for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) ToolsInternal record with your supervisor
Student Information
Name and surname: [name and surname]
SU number: [SU number]
Department: [department]
Programme: [programme]
Supervisor(s): [supervisor(s)]
Student AI Use Declaration
I declare that in the course of conducting research and preparing this thesis/ dissertation/ research assignment:
[ ]I did/will not use generative AI tools, except for basic language assistance (e.g., spelling or grammar correction).
[X]I did/will use generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, DALL·E, Copilot, Claude, ResearchRabbit, etc.) for the following purposes:
[ ]Idea Generation (e.g., research problem/design, hypothesis)
[ ]Literature Search (e.g., summarising, identifying sources)
[ ]Methods and Experiment Design (e.g., setup, model tuning)
[ ]Data Analysis (e.g., coding, interpretation)
[ ]Theoretical Development (e.g., conceptual analysis)
[ ]Code Development (e.g., generating algorithms, scripts)
[ ]Visualisation and Presentation (e.g., graphics, formatting)
[ ]Editing (e.g., grammar, readability)
[ ]Writing Assistance (e.g., structuring, paraphrasing)
[ ]Citation Formatting (e.g., organising references)
I, [name], acknowledge that the information provided is correct.
Date: [date]
Student Signature: [sign here]
[Your supervisor completes: I, ..., confirm that the Student–Supervisor Discussion on Declaration of AI Use took place.]
Before you submit: this format has you confirm the words below. Keep them only if they are true for your work.
- “I, [name], acknowledge that the information provided is correct.”
Left for you to write
- Delete the words that do not apply in "thesis/ dissertation/ research assignment"
- Your supervisor's confirmation that the Student–Supervisor Discussion on Declaration of AI Use took place
Where it goes: Kept as a record you discuss and sign with your supervisor.
Source: Internal Student Declaration for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools (Stellenbosch University), file created 26 November 2025 (checked 4 October 2026); Draft interim SU guidelines on allowable AI use and academic integrity in assessment (Stellenbosch University), file dated 23 August 2023 (checked 4 October 2026)
Download the postgraduate declaration (PDF)
Your assessment brief, module guide or supervisor comes first.
Stellenbosch's interim guidelines say AI tools cannot be referenced as the content author: verify what the AI produced and cite the original authors.
If your module asks for a reference anyway, use one below.
OpenAI. ([year]). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/
In the text: (OpenAI, [year])
APA (September 2025): no version number by default, and the year is the year the tool was last updated; if you are unsure, use the year on the tool's site. A share link and a chat description switch this to APA's format for a specific chat. Sources: Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 1, Reference formats (APA Style blog, 9 September 2025), AI references (APA Style).
Keep these while you work, so you can show your process if you are asked.
Sources: Melbourne, Monash, UQ, Pretoria (Q3), Dundee, UKZN (clause 6.9.2), RMIT
Sources: Monash
Sources: Monash, Dundee, UTS, Cambridge HSS, UCL
If an AI tool suggested references, check they exist in the Reference Checker.
Sources: UKZN (clause 6.8.7), Stellenbosch, UQ, MLA
Working from a set of papers? Litrevu answers questions from the papers you add to it, and every citation opens the passage it came from, so you can check each point. Free to start with up to 20 papers, no card. Litrevu is in the tool list above, so you can declare it too.
Start a free libraryWhich Stellenbosch form do you need?
Postgraduates writing a thesis, dissertation or research assignment use the Internal Student Declaration for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools, which the university calls an internal record and discussion tool between students and their supervisor(s), and not a punitive mechanism. For assessed coursework, the Draft interim SU guidelines on allowable AI use and academic integrity in assessment (2023) recommend an AI use table and checklist with the plagiarism declaration. Your module's instructions come first.
The postgraduate form, box by box
Student Information first: Name and surname, SU number, Department, Programme and Supervisor(s). Then one of two boxes. The first reads: I did/will not use generative AI tools, except for basic language assistance (e.g., spelling or grammar correction). The second reads: I did/will use generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, DALL·E, Copilot, Claude, ResearchRabbit, etc.) for the following purposes, and lists ten:
- Idea Generation (e.g., research problem/design, hypothesis)
- Literature Search (e.g., summarising, identifying sources)
- Methods and Experiment Design (e.g., setup, model tuning)
- Data Analysis (e.g., coding, interpretation)
- Theoretical Development (e.g., conceptual analysis)
- Code Development (e.g., generating algorithms, scripts)
- Visualisation and Presentation (e.g., graphics, formatting)
- Editing (e.g., grammar, readability)
- Writing Assistance (e.g., structuring, paraphrasing)
- Citation Formatting (e.g., organising references)
Then a table for other uses (Generative AI Tool Used, Purpose of Use, Extent and Justification), your confirmation that the information provided is correct, and your supervisor's confirmation that the discussion took place.
Spelling and grammar only?
The first box reads: I did/will not use generative AI tools, except for basic language assistance (e.g., spelling or grammar correction). If AI also edited for readability or tone, tick Editing under the second box instead. The generator does this when you tick only Correcting spelling and grammar.
Can you reference AI at Stellenbosch?
The interim guidelines say AI tools can not be referenced as the content author or creator: analyse and verify what the AI produced and cite the original authors.
Source
Both PDFs, the postgraduate form (created 26 November 2025) and the interim guidelines (file dated 23 August 2023), are linked below. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Internal Student Declaration for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools (Stellenbosch University), file created 26 November 2025
- Draft interim SU guidelines on allowable AI use and academic integrity in assessment (Stellenbosch University), file dated 23 August 2023
Questions
Which Stellenbosch AI declaration do I need?
For a thesis, dissertation or research assignment, the internal postgraduate declaration with your supervisor. For assessed coursework, the AI use table and the checklist after it in the draft interim guidelines, with your plagiarism declaration, unless your module says otherwise.
Do I tick did not use if AI only fixed my spelling?
On the postgraduate form, yes: the first box covers basic language assistance such as spelling or grammar correction. If AI also edited for readability or tone, tick Editing under the second box.
Is the Stellenbosch declaration a disciplinary form?
No. The postgraduate form describes itself as an internal record and discussion tool between students and their supervisor(s), and says it is not a punitive mechanism.
Can I reference ChatGPT at Stellenbosch?
The interim guidelines say AI tools can not be referenced as the content author or creator. Verify what the AI produced and cite the original authors.
Other South African formats
All 21 formats, how each is sourced, and APA, Harvard and MLA references
Other free tools
- Dissertation Word Count Calculator
How long your literature review and every other chapter should be for your word limit and level, how many sources to cite, and how many themes to plan, from published university guidance.
- Reference Checker
Paste a reference list to see which references are real, which details are wrong, and which papers are retracted, checked against Crossref and OpenAlex.