TL;DR
Using ChatGPT for a research paper, AP task, science fair project, or journal submission isn’t automatically plagiarism. But submitting AI-written work as your own can count as academic dishonesty, so check your teacher’s, the College Board’s, science fair’s, or journal’s rules and disclose how you used AI. If you need help with your research from question to paper, you can apply to Horizon.
Is using ChatGPT in high school plagiarism? Our honest take
If you use ChatGPT for a research paper, AP Seminar or AP Research task, science fair project, or journal submission, it does not mean that you are plagiarising. It depends on how you use it, whether your teacher or program allows it, and whether you disclose that use.
Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas as your own without giving them proper credit. If you submit AI-generated work as your own, you’re taking credit for work that you didn’t do. Your school can treat this as academic dishonesty, which means breaking its rules on honest schoolwork.
Copying ChatGPT’s text into your work/paper without permission or disclosure can count as plagiarism or other academic misconduct. Citing ChatGPT does not mean you can use it for every assignment. Your teacher can still prohibit AI-written text, even if you say that you used it. You also need to follow the rules for your AP assignment, science fair, or journal submission. If your teacher has stricter rules, you should follow those instead.
ChatGPT can also repeat ideas from published sources without proper credit or give you citations for sources that don’t exist. If you use those ideas without credit or cite sources you haven’t checked, you risk including plagiarism or false information in your work.
Use ChatGPT only for tasks which your rules allow, check its claims with reliable sources, and also keep a record of how you use it. This can help you explain your process if your teacher, science fair organizer, or journal editor asks you. If you need more help, you can check out the research terms glossary and read how to write a thesis statement in 10 steps.
Plagiarism vs academic dishonesty: what’s the difference?
Plagiarism is one type of academic dishonesty, but the 2 terms have different meanings. Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit. Academic dishonesty covers a wider range of actions that break the rules for fair schoolwork, including using AI when your teacher or program doesn’t allow it.
You can break academic integrity rules even if you haven’t copied a single sentence. Here are four terms to know before using ChatGPT for research:
| Term | What it means | AI example |
| Plagiarism | Using someone else’s words or ideas without proper credit. | Copying ChatGPT’s explanation of photosynthesis into your paper and presenting it as your own writing. |
| Academic dishonesty or misconduct | Breaking rules meant to keep schoolwork fair. | Submitting an AI-written research paper as your own when AI writing isn’t allowed. |
| Fabrication | Making up data, sources, quotes, or other information. | Citing a research source that ChatGPT made up. |
| Unauthorized assistance | Getting help from a person or tool that your rules don’t allow. | Using ChatGPT to write part of an AP Research paper when your teacher prohibits AI-generated text. |
Source: Horizon Academic Research Program; College Board, AP Capstone Program Policies for 2026-27.
These categories can overlap. For example, submitting AI-written text without the required disclosure might count as academic dishonesty, while citing a made-up source counts as fabrication.
The College Board’s 2026-27 AP Capstone policies address missing citations and false or fabricated information. An invented AI citation can cause problems even if you wrote the rest of your paper yourself. You should check that every source exists, read it yourself, and make sure it supports the claim you’re citing. Your teacher might have stricter rules than the general AP policies, so follow the instructions for your assignment.
What uses of AI are usually acceptable in high school research?
You can use AI to brainstorm ideas, learn about a topic, and check your writing. But using it to write your research paper might break the rules. Before using ChatGPT, you should check your teacher’s, science fair’s, or journal’s guidelines, since they may have different limits.
| Use | Usually acceptable? | Conditions or rules to check |
| Brainstorming topic ideas | Often yes | The College Board’s 2026-27 AP Capstone policies allow AI to help you explore topics. You can also check your teacher’s rules. |
| Finding starting sources | Often yes | Use AI to find possible sources, then find and read each one yourself. Check that every source exists. The College Board requires you to read sources directly, and Society for Science warns that AI can create fake references. You can read how to write a literature review in high school. |
| Explaining a difficult concept or checking your understanding | Often yes | AP Capstone allows AI to help you understand complex texts. You should check its explanations with reliable sources. |
| Checking grammar and tone | Often yes | AP Capstone allows this type of help. The Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) only permits minor spelling and grammar corrections after you finish writing. |
| Writing paragraphs, your abstract, or research plan | Usually no | Society for Science’s ISEF rules prohibit generative AI from writing your research plan, abstract, or poster. AP work must also follow the rules on original student work. You can also read key components of a high school research paper. |
| Creating citations or a reference list | Usually no for ISEF and JEI | Follow your teacher’s rules for class papers, and verify every citation with the original source. |
| Running statistics or analyzing data | It depends | JEI doesn’t allow AI to analyze data. For other projects, check the rules, disclose any permitted use, and make sure you understand each step. |
| Rewording AI text to make it look like your own | No | Changing a few words doesn’t make AI-written work your own. Follow your assignment’s rules on AI-generated text and disclosure. |
| Making up data, quotes, or sources | Never | Inventing evidence or sources is dishonest and can invalidate your work. |
Source: College Board, AP Capstone policies (2026-27); Society for Science, ISEF Rules and Guidelines; Journal of Emerging Investigators.
The College Board’s 2026-27 policies allow AI to help you explore topics, find starting sources, understand complex texts, and check grammar and tone. AI must not replace your own research, analysis, or writing.
Society for Science’s ISEF rules prohibit generative AI from writing your research plan, abstract, or poster, or creating citations. JEI’s Academic Honesty and AI policy also restricts AI use for writing, data analysis, and creating references.
If you’re unsure whether a specific use is allowed, ask your teacher or program organizer before using AI.
How to cite ChatGPT in APA, MLA, and Chicago
If you quote, paraphrase, or use ChatGPT’s output in your paper, you should follow the citation style your teacher or program requires. Citing AI gives credit for the material you used, but it doesn’t make a prohibited use acceptable. APA, MLA, and Chicago have different rules for citing AI, so you must use the format that fits your paper.
| Style | Who is the “author” | Where the citation goes | Key details to include |
| APA | The company that made the tool, such as OpenAI | In-text citation and reference list | Company, date, chat title, tool description, tool name, and a shareable chat link when available |
| MLA | The AI tool isn’t listed as the author | In-text citation and Works Cited | Description of the output or prompt, tool name, model version if known, company, date, and link |
| Chicago | Credit the AI tool, usually by naming it in your text or a numbered note | In the text or a footnote or endnote | Tool name, company, date, shared chat link, and prompt if needed |
Source: APA Style; MLA Style Center; The Chicago Manual of Style Online.
APA Style
- APA’s guidance on citing generative AI was updated in September 2025 (according to library guides). If you have a shareable link to your conversation, cite that specific chat instead of referring to ChatGPT in general.
- Use this format: Company. (Year, Month Day). Title of chat [Generative AI chat]. Tool name. URL of the shared chat.
For example, if you ask ChatGPT to explain photosynthesis on October 13, 2026, your reference can look like: OpenAI. (2026, October 13). Explaining photosynthesis for a high school research paper [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. [Shared chat URL]
- You must replace the placeholder with your shareable link. Use (OpenAI, 2026) as the in-text citation.
- If you’re citing ChatGPT as a tool rather than a specific conversation, use this format: OpenAI. (Year). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/
- For more citation help, you can read how to format citations in a high school research paper.
MLA style
MLA doesn’t list the AI tool as the author. Instead, you should describe the output you used, name the tool, and include details that help readers identify it.
For a ChatGPT response explaining photosynthesis, you can arrange your Works Cited entry in this order:
- Title of source: Describe the response, such as Explanation of photosynthesis for a high school research paper.
- Title of container: ChatGPT.
- Version: The model version, if available.
- Publisher: OpenAI.
- Date: The date you generated the response.
- Location: A shareable link to the conversation, or ChatGPT’s general URL if no shareable link is available.
For your in-text citation, use a shortened version of your prompt description in parentheses, like (Explanation of Photosynthesis).
MLA also distinguishes between citing AI-generated content and describing other AI help. If you have used ChatGPT only to check grammar or wording, explain that separately. A citation alone might not fully describe how you used AI. You can read MLA’s Beyond Citation: Describing AI Use in Your Work for more information.
Chicago style
- Chicago allows you to credit ChatGPT in your text for many types of writing. For a formal research paper, you can use a numbered footnote or endnote with details about the conversation. You need to include enough information for readers to identify the tool and response.
For example, if you ask ChatGPT to explain photosynthesis, your note can look like this:
1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how photosynthesis works for a high school research paper,” OpenAI, October 13, 2026, [shared chat URL].
- If your prompt already appears in your paper, you can leave it out of the note. If you edited the AI-generated text, explain that in your paper or at the end of the note, such as “edited for style and content.”
- You can read The Chicago Manual of Style Online’s official Q&A on citing AI-generated content for more guidance. It doesn’t settle every question about bibliography entries, so check with your teacher to see if you need one.
What about other AI tools?
These citation patterns can also help you cite Claude, Gemini, and other AI tools. You need to replace OpenAI and ChatGPT with the correct company and tool names, and include the model or version if your citation style requires it.
Remember that citation rules and AI-use rules are separate. APA also offers an AI Contribution Statement Guide to help you explain how AI contributed to your work. If you’re preparing a science fair entry or journal submission, check its rules before using AI to create citations. ISEF and the Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) restrict AI-generated references, so don’t assume they’re allowed just because you’re using AI for formatting.
Can I use AI for science fairs?
The Society for Science’s International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) allows you to use AI as a research tool, but you can’t use generative AI to write your research plan, abstract, or poster, or to create citations. According to the Society for Science’s Rules for All Projects, you must cite and acknowledge the AI tools you use. The rules also warn that AI can create references to sources that don’t exist.
The ISEF rules list inappropriate AI use as a prohibited practice, along with plagiarism. Citing AI doesn’t make a use acceptable if the rules don’t allow it. For more details, you can check out the Society for Science’s generative AI use table for ISEF. It explains which uses are allowed and how to cite them. Also check the guidance for the current competition year, since the rules might change. Regional and state science fairs affiliated with ISEF must follow ISEF’s core rules, though they might have some extra requirements. You should check your fair’s official website or ask the organizer how to disclose your AI use.
If you’re planning a science fair project, you can read ISEF: how to qualify and what judges look for and explore these research competitions for high school students.
Can I use AI if I want to publish my research in high school?
It depends. Each journal has its own rules on using AI while preparing research for publication. Some journals allow AI use if you disclose it, while others, such as the Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI), have stricter rules. You should check the journal’s author guidelines before you start writing, and not just before submitting your paper.
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which provides recommendations for many medical journals, says you can’t list AI tools like ChatGPT as authors because they cannot take responsibility for your paper. A human author must be accountable for the accuracy and originality of their work.
If you use AI, you should disclose how you used it when submitting your paper and describe its role in the manuscript where it’s needed. You’re also responsible for checking AI-generated content for errors, bias, and plagiarism. Don’t rely on AI-generated content as your main source for a claim.
The Journal of Emerging Investigators’ (JEI) academic honesty and AI rules say that it won’t publish work that uses AI to:
- Write or revise text.
- Summarize or analyze published studies.
- Create images.
- Run statistical analyses.
- Create citations.
JEI only allows AI proofreading for minor spelling and grammar errors after you’ve finished writing. You must do the research, interpret your results, and cite sources yourself.
The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) also says AI tools can’t be authors because they can’t take responsibility for a paper. Its guidance asks authors to disclose AI use in writing, image creation, and data collection or analysis. Human authors are responsible for the submitted work.
If you plan to publish your research later, follow the strictest rules that apply from the start. You must write your own notes and drafts, save your sources, and keep a record of any AI help you use. Check your school’s rules, too, since they might be stricter than the journal’s policy.
For more guidance, you can read how to publish research in high school and explore these research journals for high school students. You can also check out 7 steps to turn your paper into a competition submission.
Can teachers detect ChatGPT? Are AI detectors accurate?
Teachers might use AI detectors to check your work, but these tools are not always accurate. AI detectors can miss AI-written text or flag writing that you did yourself. You need to keep records of your research, drafts, and revisions instead of trying to beat an AI detector.
The following examples show why you should not treat detector results as proof of AI use:
- In July 2023, OpenAI removed its own AI text classifier because it wasn’t accurate enough. In its test, the tool correctly identified only 26% of AI-written text and wrongly flagged human-written text 9% of the time. These results applied to that specific tool and test, not all AI detectors available today. Read OpenAI’s announcement.
- Some students might also be more likely to get flagged by mistake. In a May 2023 study, Stanford researchers found that seven detectors labeled 61.22% of essays written by non-native English speakers for the TOEFL as AI-generated. The same detectors performed almost perfectly on essays by U.S. eighth graders. These findings raise concerns about whether AI detectors treat different writing styles fairly. You can check out the Stanford Human-Centered AI study.
- Turnitin also warns that its AI detector can make mistakes and it should not be the only reason for taking action against a student. Results between 0% and 19% carry a higher risk of false positives, so Turnitin displays an asterisk instead of a specific score. A detector’s result alone can’t prove that you broke your school’s rules. You can take a look at Turnitin’s AI Writing Report guidance.
What to do if your work gets flagged
You need to stay calm and ask your teacher what raised the concern. You should also explain how you completed your work by:
- Sharing your drafts and version history to show how your writing changed.
- Showing your research notes and source list to explain where your information came from.
- Sharing your AI log if you recorded your prompts and how you used the responses.
- Explaining your argument, evidence, and methods in your own words to show your understanding.
Keep these records as you work instead of trying to recreate them later. Keeping track of your process doesn’t make prohibited AI use acceptable, so you must follow your teacher’s rules.
How should I keep track of my AI use?
Use an AI log! An AI log records how you used ChatGPT or another AI tool, what information you took from its responses, and how you checked it. Keeping a log as you work helps you explain your research process if your teacher, science fair organizer, or journal editor asks for it.
You can use the template below for a research paper, AP task, or science fair project. Record each important use of AI, including brainstorming, getting explanations, and receiving feedback. Be honest about how you used the tool, and follow your assignment’s rules.
| Date | Tool and version | What you asked (prompt) | What it gave you | What you used and how you changed it | How you checked it |
| October 13, 2026 | ChatGPT, version not recorded | “Explain standard deviation in simple terms.” | A basic explanation of how standard deviation measures variation in a set of values. | Used the explanation to clarify my notes, then wrote my own definition. | Checked the definition and example in my statistics textbook. |
Source: Horizon Academic Research Program
A few habits that can help you keep better records:
- Save links to your chats when available, along with the prompts and responses you used.
- Keep your drafts with version history turned on so you can show how your writing developed.
- Add a short AI disclosure at the end of your paper if your teacher or submission rules require it. In 2–3 sentences, name the tool, explain how you used it, and describe how you checked its output.
For an example of how to describe your AI use, read the MLA Style Center’s Beyond Citation: Describing AI Use in Your Work. Check your teacher’s or journal’s guidelines before using any sample wording.
If you need help planning your research, you can read The ultimate guide to writing a research paper in 90 days.
Frequently asked questions
It can be cheating if your assignment doesn’t allow AI help or you pass off AI-written work as your own. If AI use is allowed and you disclose it as required, using ChatGPT isn’t automatically cheating.
Yes, it can be. Submitting AI-written work as your own or using AI in ways your teacher or program prohibits can count as academic dishonesty. You can check the acceptable and unacceptable AI uses table for examples.
AI detectors sometimes flag paraphrased text, but they can also miss it. Rewording AI-generated text to hide its source is still dishonest, even if a detector doesn’t flag it.
Turnitin has an AI writing indicator, but its results are not always accurate, and it should not be the only reason for taking action against a student. A detector result alone doesn’t prove that you used AI improperly.
Yes, ChatGPT can make up references or misstate what a source actually says. ISEF rules also warn that AI can make up references to sources that don’t exist, so check every source yourself before citing it.
No. The MLA Style Center advises against listing AI tools as authors, and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors says chatbots can’t be authors because they can’t take responsibility for the work.
Ask your teacher in writing what’s allowed and explain how you plan to use AI. Also, check the rules for your science fair, AP task, or journal. You must follow the strictest rules that apply to your project.
A research mentor can review your research question, sources, and drafts as your project develops, helping you keep your own ideas and analysis at the center of your work. Horizon is a great option that pairs you one-on-one with a PhD scholar or professor from universities such as Oxford, Stanford, and Columbia for several months of guided research. You’ll finish with a paper of about 20 pages. You can learn what a research mentor actually does or explore Horizon’s programs.
Use AI out in the open
Check your assignment’s rules, disclose how you used AI, and keep a log of your prompts and changes. Make sure the ideas, analysis, and writing you submit are your own.
If you want guidance on doing research independently, a research mentor can help you build your skills while keeping the work yours. You can apply to Horizon or join an info session to learn more.
Resources
External sources
- Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 1, Reference formats, APA Style
- How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? (Updated and Revised), MLA Style Center, 2025
- Beyond Citation: Describing AI Use in Your Work, MLA Style Center
- Chicago Manual of Style Online: Q&A on citing ChatGPT, The Chicago Manual of Style
- AP Capstone Program Policies, College Board, 2026-27
- ISEF Rules for All Projects, Society for Science
- AI use by authors, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
- Academic honesty and AI, Journal of Emerging Investigators
- AI detectors biased against non-native English writers, Stanford Human-Centered AI, 2023
- New AI classifier for indicating AI-written text, OpenAI, 2023
- Using the AI Writing Report, Turnitin Guides
More from Horizon
- Research competitions for high school students
- How to format citations in a high school research paper
- Research journals for high school students
- Key components of a high school research paper
- The ultimate guide to writing a research paper in 90 days
- What does a research mentor actually do?
Image source: ChatGPT