AI Disclosure Statement: Write One in 5 Fields, Then Paste the Template That Fits

What Is an AI Disclosure Statement, and What Goes in It?

An AI disclosure statement is a short note in which you, the author, say which AI tool you used, how and when you used it, and what you did with its output. Five fields cover nearly every course and publisher requirement: tool name, version, date, purpose, and what you checked.

The statement describes use that your course or journal already allows; writing one does not turn a forbidden use into an allowed one. If you are unsure the rule permits AI at all, settle whether your course treats AI help as allowed at all before you draft a word of it.

The five fields every statement needs, plus one optional

1. Tool name. The product, not just “AI”. Taylor & Francis asks for “the full name of the tool used”, along with “how it was used and the reason for use” [EV-11].
2. Version. The model or release the tool shows you. Taylor & Francis wants the name “with version number” [EV-11], and the Cambridge sample rubric asks which tool you used, “name and version” [EV-19].
3. Date. The day or date range of use. Tools change between releases, so the date tells a reader which one you had.
4. Purpose and part. What the tool did, and in which section. Torrens University’s library guide tells students to “explain what the tool did and which part of your work it supported” [EV-18]. Elsevier asks for the tool, the purpose and “the extent of their oversight” [EV-08].
5. What you checked. What you kept, changed or discarded, and that you verified facts and sources. The University of Cambridge humanities and social sciences sample rubric asks, “How have you used or changed the generative AI’s output?” [EV-19]. ICMJE warns that AI output “can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased” [EV-06].
6. Prompt (optional). Some courses also ask for the prompt you typed. The same Cambridge rubric asks, “What prompt did you provide?” [EV-19], so keep your prompts in case a marker wants to see them.

End with a responsibility sentence in your own name. COPE’s position statement, in the text reposted on a publishers’ forum, holds that authors “are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool” [EV-07], so the tool belongs in your statement, not on your author list.

Disclosure vs citation

A citation credits particular words or ideas inside your text, while a disclosure statement describes your process across the whole piece, and many assignments need both. The MLA Style Center’s post on describing AI use says acknowledgement should show readers “where the AI ends and the human input begins” [EV-04]. The entry formats themselves are on a separate page: reference-list formats for ChatGPT in APA, MLA and Chicago.

How Do You Write an AI Disclosure Statement for a Class Essay?

For a class essay, write two to four plain sentences covering the tool and version, the date, the task it did, and what you wrote and checked yourself, then end with a line that the essay is your responsibility. Name the course rule you followed, so your instructor can match your use against it.

Your course rule decides whether you must disclose AI use at all. When the rule says nothing either way, a short statement is the safer choice: it costs a few lines and answers the question before anyone has to ask it.

Template 1: class essay

AI use statement
I used [tool name, version] on [date] to [task, for example: suggest an outline for my second section / point out unclear sentences in my draft]. I wrote the argument and the final wording myself, checked every point the tool raised against the course readings, and [say what you changed or rejected]. This use follows the AI rule in [course code and syllabus or assignment sheet]. I am responsible for everything in this essay.

Filled-in illustration (adapt it, do not copy it): “AI use statement. On 14 October 2026 I used a general-purpose AI chatbot (version as shown in the app) to propose an outline for the second section of this essay. Two of its five headings did not fit the readings, so I dropped them and wrote all paragraphs myself. My use follows the AI rule on the HIST 210 assignment sheet, and I am responsible for the whole essay.”

Where it goes: wherever the assignment sheet says. If it says nothing, put it after your conclusion and before the works-cited or reference list, under its own heading, so a marker reads it before the sources.

Some universities give students a form instead of free text. Utrecht University’s model student statement (January 2026) asks students to tick yes or no: “Yes, I used AI tools to assist me with the present work” or “No, I did not use any AI tools to assist me with the present work” [EV-20]. If your school has a form, use the form; the template still helps you write any part it leaves open.

What Should an AI Disclosure Statement Say in a Research Paper or Thesis?

In a research paper or thesis, the AI disclosure statement should say which tool and version did which task, in which part of the work, over what dates, and how the authors verified the output, every reference included. A research paper usually needs one paragraph. A thesis where AI touched several chapters needs a short declaration plus a per-section log.

Research paper: methods section or acknowledgements?

Where the statement sits in a research paper depends on what the AI did. When it helped with the research itself, such as a literature review, data collection or analysis, the methods section is the usual home: APA Journals’ policy says drafting use “must be disclosed in the methods section and cited” [EV-02], and Wiley sends research-method use to Methods [EV-16]. When it only helped with drafting, editing, translation or formatting, Wiley moves the note to Acknowledgments [EV-16].

Template 2: research paper

Use of generative AI
We used [tool name, version] from [start date] to [end date] to [task, for example: screen titles and abstracts for the literature review / suggest clearer wording in the introduction]. [Author initials] compared every output with the original sources and discarded output that did not match them. No AI tool generated data, ran the analysis or wrote the results. The authors checked each reference in this paper against the original publication and take responsibility for the full content.

Where it goes: the methods section when AI shaped the research, the acknowledgements when it shaped only the language. When your instructor or journal names a place, that rule wins.

The reference-check sentence in a research-paper statement guards against fabricated citations. Elsevier warns that “AI-generated references and citations can be incorrect, hallucinated, or fabricated” [EV-10], and Taylor & Francis leaves the duty “to verify the appropriateness and validity of those suggested references” with the author [EV-13].

Thesis: a per-section log when several tools were involved

A thesis needs more than one paragraph when AI helped in several chapters or more than one tool was used. Write a short declaration for the front matter and attach a log listing each chapter, tool, date and task, so examiners can see exactly where the help sat. Auburn University’s Graduate School publishes a fill-in thesis template built on the same idea: list the tools, describe their functions, accept responsibility for the intellectual content [EV-21].

Template 3: thesis or dissertation

Declaration of AI use
This thesis is my own work. I used the AI tools listed in the log below, each only for the task and chapter shown, under [programme rule or supervisor approval, with date]. I reviewed every output before keeping any part of it, verified every source an AI tool suggested against the original, and take full responsibility for the content, analysis and conclusions of this thesis.

Chapter | Tool and version | Date(s) | Task                                          | What I did with the output
[2]     | [tool, version]  | [dates] | [e.g. summarise background reading I chose]   | [e.g. used as notes only; chapter written by me]
[4]     | [tool, version]  | [dates] | [e.g. check analysis code for errors]         | [e.g. fixed two errors it found; reran all results]

Where it goes: the front matter, near the declaration of originality, unless your graduate school’s thesis manual fixes another place. Keep the log while you write; rebuilding it from memory at submission time is how statements turn vague.

How Do You Disclose AI Use in a Journal Submission?

To disclose AI use in a journal submission, start from the target publisher’s own AI policy, because publishers set different wording, placement and exemptions. Then write a declaration naming the tool, version, task and human oversight, and place it exactly where that publisher asks.

Three policies show how far the details move:

• Elsevier (policy updated July 2026) wants the statement “at the end of the manuscript, immediately above the references”, under the heading “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process” [EV-08].
• Taylor & Francis wants a statement within the article giving the full tool name with version number, how it was used and why, and applies the same rule to “the article or book” [EV-11].
• ICMJE (recommendations updated January 2026) asks authors to describe their use “in both the cover letter and the submitted work” [EV-05].

A journal manuscript can need more than one note. Wiley places drafting, editing, translation and formatting help in the Acknowledgments and research-method help in the Methods [EV-16], so a paper that used AI for both editing and analysis carries two short disclosures. Elsevier also asks authors to “document their use of AI” [EV-08], which makes a running log, like the thesis log above, worth keeping for a paper too. Reference checks carry over unchanged: Taylor & Francis lets AI tools suggest references but leaves verification with the author [EV-13].

Template 4: journal submission

Declaration of generative AI use
In preparing this manuscript, the authors used [tool name, version, provider] on [dates] for [task, for example: improving the readability of the introduction and discussion]. The tool was not used to generate data, analyse results or draw conclusions. All authors compared the edited text with their own drafts, verified each reference, and are accountable for the content of the published article.

Where it goes: wherever the publisher’s policy says, under the heading it specifies, so rename the heading above to match. For an ICMJE journal, add one matching sentence to the cover letter.

Where Does an AI Disclosure Statement Go in a Paper?

An AI disclosure statement goes where your course or venue tells you to put it, and the rules really do differ: the end of the paper, the methods, the acknowledgements, an author note or the cover letter. With no rule to follow, put it in a clearly headed note at the end of the text, before the references.

No single standard location exists, which is why the venue’s current rule decides and each template on this page carries a placement line instead of a fixed position.

AI disclosure statement in APA 7: wording and placement

In a class paper formatted in APA 7, the statement wording is the same as Template 1 or Template 2. APA Journals’ rules are written for manuscripts sent to APA journals; a class paper follows your instructor’s format. For those journal manuscripts, drafting use goes in the methods section with a citation [EV-02], and translation or copyediting beyond what a word processor traditionally does goes in the author note, with the tool named [EV-03]. The in-text and reference-list entries belong to the citation guide linked in the first section.

No AI used, or grammar tools only

If you used no AI, say so in one line. Taylor & Francis tells authors, “If you didn’t use generative AI, state that clearly,” and offers the example “The authors report generative AI was not used in their research or preparation of this manuscript” [EV-12]. Lines for both cases, in our own wording:

No AI used (essay): I did not use any generative AI tool at any stage of this assignment.

No AI used (paper or thesis): No generative AI tool was used in the research for, or the writing of, this [manuscript / thesis].

Grammar tools only: The only automated help I used was the spelling and grammar checker in [word processor]; it corrected spelling and punctuation and did not rewrite sentences or add content.

Whether grammar tools need declaring depends on the venue. Elsevier says “Basic checks of grammar, spelling and punctuation need no declaration” [EV-09]. Wiley says simple grammar correction, formatting and word-choice suggestions “typically do not require disclosure” [EV-17]. Torrens tells students “Standard spell check does not need to be declared” [EV-18]. Springer Nature’s manuscript-preparation guide goes the other way, asking authors to “Clearly describe use” even for grammar and language editing, and it lists “improving readability and flow” in the same row [EV-15]. A tool that rewords whole sentences is no longer a spell check. If English is your second language and a tool smoothed your phrasing, the grammar-tools-only line is the one that matters most for you: when the rule is unclear, it costs one sentence, so include it.

How Do You Disclose AI Help You Rewrote in Your Own Voice?

Disclose both steps: what the AI tool produced, and how you rewrote it, naming any rewriting tool you used for that second pass. Rewriting changes the words on the page; it does not change the fact that AI shaped the work, so the statement stays in.

Rewritten AI help: I used [tool, version] on [date] to produce a first draft of [section]. I then rewrote that draft [by hand / with MeteGPT on date], checked each claim against my sources, and kept [which paragraphs or ideas]. [Say which ideas were yours from the start.] I am responsible for the final text.

The rewritten-AI-help line tells a marker which thinking is yours.

MeteGPT rewrites a paragraph and shows its detector score on the same screen, so the version you describe in your statement is the version you checked. Start free: the detector needs no account and reads 125 words per scan, four scans a day, and a free account adds four humanizer runs of up to 250 words each, a one-time allowance. That covers one paragraph and the statement line that goes with it. A thesis where AI drafted parts of several chapters is a different job, because each chapter needs its own pass, its own score and its own row in the log, and full papers run on a paid plan. Basic takes up to 1,000 words per run, Pro up to 1,200 words per run with 150,000 words a month, and Ultra up to 3,000 words per run with 300,000 words a month.

A statement is read by a person; it does not change how any detector scores the prose, so checking is its own step. You can test the final wording on MeteGPT’s free detector, and a free account adds the breakdown of which signals and sentences moved the score. If the result is hard to interpret, this guide covers how to read the number you get back.

What Should You Not Write in an AI Disclosure Statement?

Do not write vague, apologetic or inflated lines, such as “I used AI to help”, “AI made minor edits” or anything that names the tool as a co-author. Every field should be specific enough that a reader can tell which parts of the work the tool touched and which parts you did.

Torrens University’s guide says it directly: “Avoid general statements such as ‘I used AI to help with my assessment’” [EV-18].

Weak vs strong wording

Tone matters as much as detail. An Inside Higher Ed opinion column argued that mandatory statements “feel an awful lot like a confession or admission of guilt right now” [EV-22]. That is one writer’s view, and it points to a useful habit: write the statement as a plain record of method, the way you would name a lab instrument, not as a plea.

Checklist before you submit

• The course or journal rule allows each use you declare, and you read its current version.
• Every tool is named with its version, and every use has a date or date range.
• Each use says what the tool did and in which section.
• The statement says what you checked, changed or discarded, every reference included.
• It sits where your venue asks, under the heading it asks for.
• The final text, after any rewriting, is the text your statement describes, and you have read it through yourself.

A paragraph-length essay fits the free start. When the statement covers a whole thesis or a long paper, see which plan covers a full thesis, so every disclosed chapter gets the same rewrite-and-score pass a single paragraph gets for free.

Disclosure. I run MeteGPT, which sells a rewriting tool and an AI detector, and this guide mentions both only where they fit the task. The four templates name no product, so they read the same whichever tool you used.

Ready to try the two steps on real text? Rewrite and score one paragraph on MeteGPT for free, then add the statement line that describes exactly what you did.