UKZN AI Declaration (Appendix A), Filled In
UKZN's guidelines on generative AI, in force since 1 January 2025, say all student work must include the AI Declaration in Appendix A, in the front section. Tick what you used AI for and the generator keeps only the lines that apply, ready to copy and sign.
Checked 4 October 2026 against UKZN's Principles and Guidelines on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Academic Work. If your module gives its own form, use that.
Make your declaration
Required for all student work. University-wide, from UKZN's Senate-approved guidelines (SE/01/0312/24).
University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN): AI Declaration (Appendix A)Required for all student work
AI Declaration
b) I made use of generative AI in this report/dissertation/thesis in the following areas: [the areas you used it in]. In all instances, the content generated by AI was fully interrogated for applicability, accuracy of content, and plagiarism. Citations were added to statements where applicable, to assign credit to authors.
Signed:
[Insert name and student number]
Before you submit: this format has you confirm the words below. Keep them only if they are true for your work.
- “In all instances, the content generated by AI was fully interrogated for applicability, accuracy of content, and plagiarism.”
- “Citations were added to statements where applicable, to assign credit to authors.”
Left for you to write
- Delete the words that do not apply in "report/dissertation/thesis"
Where it goes: In the front section of the assignment, dissertation or thesis (clause 6.9.4).
Source: Principles and Guidelines on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Academic Work, SE/01/0312/24 (UKZN), approved by Senate 3 December 2024, effective 1 January 2025 (checked 4 October 2026)
Open UKZN's guidelines (Appendix A is on page 24)
Your assessment brief, module guide or supervisor comes first.
UKZN's guidelines for research work (clause 6.8.7) say AI tools should not be cited as sources: cite the original sources instead.
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 libraryWhat UKZN's AI Declaration asks
Appendix A of UKZN's Principles and Guidelines on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Academic Work (SE/01/0312/24) is headed AI Declaration [Applicable to all student work] and tells you to delete the text that does not apply. Option a) is for work without AI. Option b) lists the areas you used AI in, from a fixed list: predictive modelling, hypothesis generation, methodology, meta-analysis, qualitative data analysis, simulation and scenario planning, to write initial drafts, to draft summaries, to generate ideas, for visualisation, for reference management, for language editing, and others (please specify). Option c) points to your methodology section if AI was used there. It ends with Signed: and your name and student number.
The sentence option b) has you confirm
In all instances, the content generated by AI was fully interrogated for applicability, accuracy of content, and plagiarism. Citations were added to statements where applicable, to assign credit to authors.
Keep option b) only if that is true for your work.
Who needs it and where it goes
Clause 6.9.4: all student work must include the form in the front section of the assignment, dissertation or thesis. Clause 6.9.1: any use of generative AI, from generating ideas to editing or refining text, must be disclosed, so grammar and editing help count.
Can you cite AI as a source at UKZN?
UKZN's guidelines for research work (clause 6.8.7) say AI tools should not be cited as sources: find and cite the original sources instead. Clause 6.8.6 adds that AI tools cannot be listed as co-authors.
Records your supervisor may ask for
Clause 6.9.2: supervisors (for theses and dissertations) and module coordinators (for assignments) may require you to keep records of your substantial interactions with AI tools, such as the prompts and the outputs.
Source
Principles and Guidelines on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Academic Work (SE/01/0312/24), approved by Senate on 3 December 2024, effective 1 January 2025, review date 2027. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Principles and Guidelines on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Academic Work, SE/01/0312/24 (UKZN), approved by Senate 3 December 2024, effective 1 January 2025
Questions
Do I need the UKZN AI declaration if I did not use AI?
Yes. Appendix A applies to all student work, and option a) reads: I did not use generative AI in this report/dissertation/thesis. Keep a), delete b) and c), and sign with your name and student number.
Does grammar or editing help count as AI use at UKZN?
Yes. Clause 6.9.1 says any use, from generating ideas to editing or refining text, must be disclosed. Tick Correcting spelling and grammar or Editing for clarity, tone or flow and option b) keeps for language editing.
What if I used AI for something not on UKZN's list?
Option b) ends with others (please specify). Anything you ticked that is not on the list is written there, for example others (please specify): translating.
Should I cite ChatGPT as a source at UKZN?
UKZN's guidelines for research work say AI tools should not be cited as sources: check what the AI told you and cite the original sources instead. If your module asks for a reference to the tool anyway, the Reference entry tab gives APA, Harvard and MLA.
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.