Citing Sources

Citing Sources#

A very important step in writing a literature review (or any scientific paper), is to correctly refer to the sources that you used. After all, you have to give credits to whom they are due, especially in academia.

Standard Practice

Citing Sources
Use a reference manager to format your references correctly

AI-assist

Ask General AI tools to Check Your References
Ask AI to check the formatting of your reference list

Recap Standard Practice: Citing Sources#

When you are working with a limited number of sources, you should consult the guidelines of the particular citation style and format your references accordingly, both in the text and in the reference list. For students at TU Delft, using the APA Citation Table can support you in formatting your references in the right way.

If you are working with a large amount of sources, it is efficient to use a reference manager to manage and cite your sources in the format of your choice. Have a look at this video to learn more about how to use these tools:


"Storing References" by TU Delft Library Education Support is licensed CC-BY

Warning

Most citation styles have specific rules on how you should cite your use of AI tools. You can consult the specific policies of the common citation styles here:

AI-Assist: Ask General AI Tools to Check Your References#

You can ask general AI tools to check if you have used the correct formatting throughout your text, and give suggestions for improvement.

Example Prompt

You are a scientific editor. Attached is a draft literature review paper. The references and the reference list should be formatted in the [style e.g. APA / IEEE] style. Check if the in-text references and reference list are formatted correctly. Put any incorrect references in a bulletted list, including the location in the document where the reference is listed and suggestions for improvement.
[attach literature review]

Guided Activity: Ask general AI-tools to check your references

Tool suggestions: Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

Step 1: Prepare Your Document

  • Select a draft version of your paper or literature review that already includes in-text references and a reference list.

Step 2: Prompt the AI Tool
Use the following template to guide the AI:

You are a scientific editor. Attached is a draft literature review paper. The references and the reference list should be formatted in the [style e.g. APA / IEEE] style. Check if the in-text references and reference list are formatted correctly. Put any incorrect references in a bulletted list, including the location in the document where the reference is listed and suggestions for improvement.
[attach literature review]

Step 3: Review the Output

  • Check the AI’s feedback carefully.

  • Note which references it flagged as incorrect or inconsistent.

  • Compare the suggestions with the official guidelines for your chosen style (APA, IEEE, Chicago, etc.).

Step 4: Revise Your References

  • Apply corrections to your draft document.

  • Cross-check the formatting again against the style manual or a reference management tool.

Step 5: Reflect on the Outcomes

  • How accurate and useful was the AI’s feedback?

  • Did it catch mistakes you had overlooked?

  • Were there any false positives or incorrect suggestions?

Summary and Prompts#

Task

Standard Practice

AI Assist

Tools

Example Prompts

Cite Sources

Use citation manual or reference manager to format your references

Ask general AI tools to check your references

General tools, e.g. Copilot, Claude, Gemini

You are a scientific editor. Attached is a draft literature review paper. The references and the reference list should be formatted in the [style e.g. APA / IEEE] style. Check if the in-text references and reference list are formatted correctly. Put any incorrect references in a bulletted list, including the location in the document where the reference is listed and suggestions for improvement. [attach literature review]

References#

Contents