AI Acknowledgement

Universities / University of Oxford

University of Oxford AI acknowledgement

At Oxford, AI use in summative assessment is not allowed unless your faculty or department authorises it in writing, in advance, for that specific assessment. Where it is allowed, you must acknowledge it with a formal declaration in whatever format the assessment setter specifies. The detailed statement rules here (placement after the abstract, tool name, publisher, purpose) come from the MPLS Graduate School guidance for research students.

Checked against University of Oxford's own pages on 9 October 2026 · See the full rules

Write yours

University of Oxford doesn't publish a fixed template, so this uses a general format that covers what it asks for.

Did you use AI?

Your university or journal

Which AI tools?

What did you use it for?

What did you do with what it gave you?

More details · prompts, date, versions
Your prompts and the AI's answers
I used ChatGPT (OpenAI, https://chatgpt.com) on [date] to brainstorm ideas and check grammar and spelling. I rewrote anything I used in my own words. I checked the facts it gave me against the original sources. A full record of my prompts and the outputs is available on request.

The rules at a glance

When you need one
Taught: whenever AI is used in a summative assessment where it is permitted. MPLS research students: a Gen AI statement is required in the final thesis (mandatory from Trinity Term 2026) and should be included in transfer and confirmation submissions; local grammar/spell/debug tools and use for background research, translation, bibliography indices or general understanding need not be declared.
Framework
University policy on AI use in summative assessment: assessment setters declare whether and how AI may be used (e.g. a category system per assignment) and specify the declaration format
Where it goes
Taught work: as part of the submission, in the format the assessment setter prescribes. MPLS research theses: immediately after the abstract.
Prompts and outputs
Research students are encouraged to keep a record of any AI use that will need acknowledging, since AI use may not be reproducible later; no university-wide prompt-logging rule for taught work.
Must include
  • formal declaration in the format prescribed by the assessment setter
  • (PGR theses) a declaration that Gen AI use complies with University, divisional and any departmental guidance
  • (PGR theses) where and how Gen AI was used in preparing the work
  • (PGR theses) how specific uses will be referenced in the text
  • (PGR) name and version of the tool (e.g. ChatGPT5, Copilot), publisher (e.g. OpenAI, Microsoft), and a brief description of use (e.g. background research, refining code)
Also note
  • all AI use in submitted assessment is unauthorised unless you are told otherwise in writing, in advance, for that specific assessment; permission for previous or formative work does not carry over
  • unauthorised AI use is cheating and plagiarism; penalties include failing the assessment and, in appropriate cases, expulsion
  • (PGR) no substantive Gen AI writing of chapters or literature reviews; no AI-generated plots or data visualisations straight from prompts
  • never upload confidential, sensitive or unpublished material to third-party AI tools; use University tools (ChatGPT Edu, Gemini, NotebookLM, Copilot Chat)
  • suspected unauthorised use is identified only through marking or University-endorsed detectors (none endorsed yet)

If you didn't use AI

No wording given. PGR students should be able to give examiners a detailed, reflective account of their use (or lack of use) of Gen AI.

Sources

Your unit outline or the journal's author guide wins if it says something different. Spotted a change? Tell us.