Simplified Stages
| Code | Stage |
|---|---|
| ID | Ideation |
| SY | Synthesis |
| AN | Analysis |
| DR | Drafting |
| PO | Polishing |
What Is GenAIUseLabel?
A GenAI Use Label is a simple, standardized way for students to declare how they used generative AI in preparing submitted work. It treats an assignment, paper, project, problem set, presentation, or other deliverable as a workflow made up of several stages, such as ideation, synthesis, analysis, drafting, and polishing. For each stage where GenAI was used, the student reports both the stage and the level of use. The result is a compact label, such as GAI:ID-1, AN-2, PO-1, that gives instructors a quick summary of where GenAI contributed and how substantially it shaped the submitted work.
The GenAI Use Label is suggested because students need a disclosure method that is consistent, comprehensive, and easy to use. Without a shared format, GenAI declarations can be vague, incomplete, or difficult to compare across assignments. A short label reduces reporting friction while still capturing the most important information: whether GenAI was used only for minor support, whether it shaped the student's thinking or analysis, or whether it generated substantial parts of the submitted work.
Framework Dimensions
The framework has two dimensions: stages, which identify where GenAI was used in the workflow, and levels, which describe how substantially GenAI shaped that stage of the work.
Simplified Levels
| Level | Label |
|---|---|
| Level 0 | None |
| Level 1 | Assistive |
| Level 2 | Collaborative |
| Level 3 | Generative |
How to Declare GenAI Use
Students may declare their use of generative AI using a short, standardized tag. The tag is designed to work like a simplified license-style label, similar in spirit to labels such as CC BY-SA. Its purpose is to give instructors a quick, readable summary of where and how much GenAI was used in the submitted work.
The tag does not replace normal academic integrity rules, citation requirements, or assignment-specific GenAI policies. Instead, it provides a compact disclosure of GenAI involvement across the stages of the work.
Basic Format
The standard format is:
GAI:Stage-Level
GAI:ABC-# means GenAI was used in the ABC stage at Level #.
Multiple Stages
When GenAI is used in more than one stage, list all applicable stage-level pairs.
GAI:ID-2, PO-1
This means Ideation at Level 2 and Polishing at Level 1.
No GenAI Used
If no GenAI was used at any stage, students may write:
GAI:None
For consistency, this is the recommended official shorthand.
General Tagging Rule
Students should report every stage in which GenAI use was above Level 0. If GenAI was not used in a stage, that stage does not need to appear in the tag.
Recommended Stage Order
To make tags easy to read and compare, students should list stages in the standard order:
ID, SY, AN, DR, PO
Examples of Tags
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| GAI:PO-1 | GenAI was used only for assistive polishing, such as grammar, clarity, formatting, or minor language improvement. |
| GAI:ID-1, PO-1 | GenAI was used to brainstorm or clarify the assignment and later to polish the final writing. |
| GAI:SY-2, PO-1 | GenAI helped organize or synthesize information in a substantive way, and was also used for minor polishing. |
| GAI:AN-2 | GenAI was used collaboratively in the analysis stage, such as helping develop code, formulas, calculations, interpretations, or solution steps. |
| GAI:DR-3, PO-1 | GenAI generated substantial draft content, and was also used for polishing. |
| GAI:ID-2, SY-2, AN-2, DR-1, PO-1 | GenAI was used collaboratively across ideation, synthesis, and analysis, but only assistively for drafting and polishing. |
Student-Facing Explanation
Please declare any GenAI use in your submission using the format GAI:Stage-Level. List every stage where your GenAI use was above Level 0. For example, GAI:ID-1, PO-1 means that you used GenAI to help with ideation and polishing, but not for synthesis, analysis, or drafting.
Assignment Examples
Example 1: Corporate Finance Assignment
A student submits a corporate finance problem set. They use GenAI to clarify what a question is asking, ask for a reminder of the difference between NPV and IRR, and check their final explanation for grammar. They complete all calculations themselves and do not use GenAI to generate the final answers.
GAI:ID-1, SY-1, PO-1
I used GenAI to clarify the assignment questions, review relevant finance concepts, and polish grammar. I completed the calculations and final answers myself.
Example 2: Corporate Finance Assignment with AI-Assisted Analysis
A student submits a valuation assignment. They use GenAI to help structure an Excel model, debug formulas, compare valuation assumptions, and interpret sensitivity analysis. The student checks the formulas, revises the assumptions, and writes the final answer themselves.
GAI:AN-2, PO-1
I used GenAI collaboratively to help structure and troubleshoot parts of the valuation analysis. I verified the calculations and wrote the final explanation myself. I also used GenAI for grammar and clarity.
Example 3: Analytics Project
A student submits a data analytics project. They use GenAI to suggest possible research questions, help clean data in Python, debug code, generate a first version of a visualization, and polish the final report. The student revises the code, checks the results, and writes most of the report themselves.
GAI:ID-1, AN-2, DR-2, PO-1
I used GenAI to brainstorm possible project directions, assist with Python coding and debugging, generate an initial visualization, and polish the final report. I reviewed, revised, and verified the analysis and final outputs.
Example 4: Research Paper
A student writes a short research paper. They use GenAI to help identify possible themes, summarize some readings, organize a comparison table, and rewrite several paragraphs. The student verifies the sources, revises the text, and adds their own argument.
GAI:ID-1, SY-2, DR-2, PO-1
I used GenAI to brainstorm themes, organize and summarize background material, draft portions of the paper, and polish the final writing. I verified the sources and substantially revised the final submission.
Example 5: AI-Generated Draft
A student submits a written report. They provide a prompt to GenAI and receive a full draft. They then make minor edits, add a few references, and submit the revised version.
GAI:DR-3, PO-1
I used GenAI to generate a substantial first draft of the report and then edited the output before submission.
Depending on the course policy, this level of use may or may not be allowed. The tag only discloses the use; it does not automatically make the use acceptable.
Example 6: Presentation or Slide Assignment
A student prepares a class presentation. They use GenAI to brainstorm the structure, generate draft slide titles, create a first version of the speaker notes, and improve the visual layout.
GAI:ID-1, DR-2, PO-1
I used GenAI to brainstorm the presentation structure, draft some slide content and speaker notes, and improve clarity and formatting.
Recommended Disclosure Format
Students could include the declaration at the beginning or end of the submission:
GenAI Usage Tag: GAI:ID-1, AN-2, PO-1
For longer assignments, students may add a short explanation if requested:
GenAI Usage Tag: GAI:ID-1, AN-2, PO-1
I used GenAI to brainstorm possible approaches, assist with analysis and coding, and polish the final writing.
For assignments where no GenAI was used:
GenAI Usage Tag: GAI:None
Suggested Rule for Students
When in doubt, disclose the higher level of GenAI use. If GenAI influenced the content, structure, analysis, code, or final wording of your submission, it should be included in the tag.
Suggested Instructor-Facing Note
The GenAI Usage Tag is a disclosure tool, not a permission tool. Whether a particular tag is acceptable depends on the instructor's assignment policy. For example, one assignment may allow GAI:PO-1 but prohibit GAI:DR-3, while another may allow broader GenAI collaboration if properly disclosed.
GENAIUseLabel.v1
Stages
| Code | Stage | Definition | Student-Friendly Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | Ideation | Using GenAI to clarify the assignment prompt, brainstorm possible topics, develop or refine research questions, generate initial approaches, or identify possible angles for a response. | Helped me think of topics, questions, approaches, or understand the assignment. |
| SY | Synthesis | Using GenAI to summarize, compare, organize, or explain existing information, including course materials, readings, literature, sources, datasets, concepts, or background context. | Helped me understand, summarize, compare, or organize existing information or sources. |
| AN | Analysis | Using GenAI to support substantive analytical work, including applying concepts, evaluating alternatives, developing arguments, interpreting evidence, cleaning or analyzing data, or writing/debugging code. | Helped me analyze data, evidence, arguments, alternatives, code, or results. |
| DR | Drafting | Using GenAI to generate new material that may appear in the submitted work, including sentences, paragraphs, sections, full drafts, code, tables, slides, figures, diagrams, images, or other components. | Helped generate text, code, visuals, tables, slides, or other material used in the submission. |
| PO | Polishing | Using GenAI to improve the clarity, grammar, style, tone, formatting, translation, or presentation of student-authored work, without adding new substantive ideas, analysis, evidence, or arguments. | Helped edit, translate, format, or improve the clarity of my own work without changing the substance. |
Levels
| Level | Label | Student-Friendly Wording | Definition | What This Means in Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 0 | None | I did not use GenAI for this stage. | No GenAI was used for this stage, except any tools or uses explicitly exempted by the course instructor. | The work for this stage was completed by the student without GenAI support. GenAI did not help generate ideas, find or summarize information, analyze material, produce code, draft content, or polish the output. |
| Level 1 | Assistive | GenAI helped me, but did not shape the substance of my work. | GenAI was used for limited support tasks, but the student remained fully responsible for the substance, decisions, and final output of the stage. | GenAI may have helped clarify instructions, suggest search terms, explain a concept, check grammar, suggest minor wording changes, or offer small technical hints. The student independently created the main output. |
| Level 2 | Collaborative | GenAI worked with me and influenced the structure, reasoning, or content. | GenAI materially contributed to the stage output, but the student remained the primary intellectual author and substantially revised, selected, verified, and integrated the work. | GenAI may have helped develop an outline, compare alternatives, refine an argument, generate a code scaffold, organize sources, suggest solution steps, or draft portions that the student substantially edited. |
| Level 3 | Generative | GenAI produced much of the output for this stage. | GenAI performed the primary content-production, analytic, coding, or design work for the stage, with limited human modification before submission. | GenAI may have generated substantial text, code, analysis, tables, figures, slides, solutions, or other deliverable components that were used with little or moderate revision. The student reviewed or adjusted the output. |
Matrix View
| Stage | Level 0 (None) | Level 1 (Assistive) | Level 2 (Collaborative) | Level 3 (Generative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideation (ID) | Topics, questions, approaches, hypotheses, or solution strategies were developed without GenAI. | GenAI helped clarify the assignment prompt, explain what the question was asking, suggest possible directions, or provide brainstorming prompts. The student selected and developed the final direction independently. | GenAI-generated ideas, research questions, hypotheses, outlines, or solution approaches materially shaped the submitted work, but the student substantially revised, selected, and justified them. | The main topic, research question, hypothesis, proposal rationale, or solution strategy was largely generated by GenAI and used with limited human transformation. |
| Synthesis (SY) | Sources, course materials, concepts, datasets, and background information were found, read, summarized, and organized without GenAI. | GenAI helped suggest search terms, explain concepts, summarize short passages, identify possible source types, or organize notes. The student verified all information against reliable sources. | GenAI-generated summaries, comparison tables, literature maps, concept explanations, source groupings, or background syntheses materially shaped the submitted work, after student verification and revision. | The literature review, background section, evidence map, source synthesis, or conceptual explanation was largely generated by GenAI and used with limited independent verification or rewriting. |
| Analysis (AN) | Analytical reasoning, calculations, coding, data cleaning, interpretation, problem-solving, and evaluation were completed without GenAI. | GenAI helped with limited support such as syntax suggestions, debugging hints, formula reminders, explanation of methods, robustness-check ideas, or clarification of analytical steps. The student performed and verified the analysis. | GenAI-generated code, calculations, analytical steps, interpretations, classifications, tradeoff analyses, or solution paths materially shaped the final work, but the student tested, revised, verified, and explained them. | The core analysis, code, statistical work, interpretation, classification, solution, or evaluation was largely produced by GenAI and used with limited human modification or independent verification. |
| Drafting (DR) | Submitted text, code, tables, figures, slides, diagrams, captions, or other deliverable components were drafted without GenAI. | GenAI helped with minor wording suggestions, structure reminders, transition ideas, caption alternatives, or formatting suggestions, but did not produce substantive submitted content. | GenAI drafted paragraphs, sections, code blocks, tables, figure descriptions, slides, captions, or other deliverable components that were substantially revised and integrated by the student. | Substantial portions of the submitted text, code, tables, figures, slides, diagrams, captions, or other deliverable components were generated by GenAI and used with limited revision. |
| Polishing (PO) | Editing, proofreading, formatting, translation, and presentation refinement were completed without GenAI. | GenAI helped correct grammar, spelling, tone, clarity, formatting, concision, or translation of student-authored text without adding new substantive ideas, evidence, arguments, or analysis. | GenAI substantially rewrote, reorganized, translated, or reformatted student-authored work, while the student reviewed and revised the output to preserve their intended meaning and argument. | The final wording, translation, rewrite, formatting, or presentation style was largely produced by GenAI, with limited human editing before submission. |
GenAI Use Declaration
GENAI has been used to develop GenAIUseLabel. Here is our declaration using GenAIUseLabel:
GAI:ID-1, SY-2, AN-2, DR-2, PO-2
Gemini 3 (Thinking mode), GPT 5.3 (Instant mode), GPT 5.5 (Thinking mode), and gpt-5.5 (in Codex) have been used in various of stages of the development of GenAIUseLabel. GenAI use is no more than Level 2 in version 1 of the framework.
License
GenAIUseLabel framework by Hasan Cavusoglu, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Citation
Cavusoglu, H. (2026). GenAIUseLabel: A lightweight framework for declaring generative AI use in academic work. https://genaiuselabel.github.io/
BibTeX
@misc{cavusoglu2026genaiuselabel,
author = {Cavusoglu, Hasan},
title = {GenAIUseLabel: A Lightweight Framework for Declaring Generative AI Use in Academic Work},
year = {2026},
url = {https://genaiuselabel.github.io/},
note = {Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0}
}