Sources Citations and AI Use

Sources, Citations, and AI Use

Programmers learn from documentation, examples, tools, and other people.

When an outside source contributes to submitted work, the Module Two instructions ask you to keep that contribution visible through appropriate acknowledgement or citation.

Use the current Module Two Assignment Guidelines and Rubric and SNHU guidance for policy requirements. This page explains how the repository's source and reference sections fit into the assignment.

Start With the Assignment Requirements

The Module Two Assignment Guidelines and Rubric in D2L Brightspace is the official source for assignment and AI-use requirements.

The current assignment guidance also links to:

• SNHU Student Generative AI Guide: https://snhu.ink/StudentGenAIGuide
• Shapiro Library Citation and AI guidance: https://snhu.ink/CitationAndAI

If those sources differ from an older example, follow the current SNHU and course guidance.

When You Need to Cite or Acknowledge a Source

A source may need to be acknowledged when it contributed information, wording, code, or ideas to your submitted work.

Examples identified in the Module Two repository include:

• Documentation or websites
• Code examples
• IDE inline code suggestions
• AI chats or coding agents
• Other people or external resources that contributed to your solution

Do not add a source merely because it exists.

Reference sources you actually used.

Provided Course Materials

The assignment provides materials such as:

• SRS
• SDD
• Flowchart
• Pseudocode
• Starter code
• README instructions
• Tests
• zyBooks references

Follow the assignment instructions for how to use these provided materials.

When a section tells you to write something in your own words, use the provided material to understand the requirement rather than copying its wording.

Part A References

The name_age.py starter file contains a References section for outside sources that contributed to your programming work.

Construct instructions:

https://github.com/GC-STEM/it140-m2-assignment/blob/main/Part-A/src/README.md

The repository instructs you to add APA-style references for applicable outside sources you actually used.

If you did not use additional outside sources, follow the starter-file instructions for removing unused reference TODO lines.

The Module Docstring Is Different

The Construct instructions specifically require you to write the module docstring in your own words.

The repository tells you not to copy the SRS, SDD, another source, or another person and not to use an AI tool to generate that docstring.

Use your completed SDW and your own understanding of the program to write it.

Part B References

The Part B reflection should describe your own experience with the IDE.

You may use Microsoft documentation to confirm the official name of a feature or learn what it does.

Part B instructions:

https://github.com/GC-STEM/it140-m2-assignment/blob/main/Part-B/README.md

Preferred documentation links provided by the assignment:

• Visual Studio Code Documentation: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs
• Editing Python in Visual Studio Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/python/editing

If you use an outside source, the Part B instructions direct you to:

1. Cite or acknowledge the source where appropriate.
2. Add an APA-style reference under ## References.
3. Include applicable sources that contributed to the work.

If you do not use outside sources, follow the Part B instructions for removing the unused References section.

Documentation Is Usually the Best First Source

When you need to learn how a specific tool or language feature works, start with the organization that maintains it when practical.

Examples for Module Two include:

• Python documentation: https://docs.python.org/3.12/
• Visual Studio Code documentation: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs
• Git documentation: https://git-scm.com/doc
• GitHub documentation: https://docs.github.com/

Official documentation can help you confirm terminology and behavior without replacing your own analysis or reflection.

Using Generative AI

If you use a generative AI tool, follow the current assignment and SNHU AI-use guidance.

The Module Two Assignment Guidelines and Rubric states that AI use must follow the linked SNHU guidance and that use of these tools must be acknowledged.

The repository also identifies AI chats and coding agents as outside sources that may contribute to your work.

AI Can Support Learning

Depending on the current assignment rules, an AI tool may be useful for activities such as:

• Explaining an error message
• Explaining a programming term
• Describing what an unfamiliar line of provided code does
• Helping you identify which documentation to read
• Explaining the difference between two technical concepts

You are still responsible for understanding your submitted work and making sure it meets the assignment requirements.

Do Not Use AI Where the Instructions Prohibit It

The Construct instructions require the Module Two program's module docstring to be written by you without AI generation.

The SDW also includes prompts that ask you to explain requirements in your own words rather than asking AI to generate those responses.

Follow those restrictions even if AI assistance is permitted elsewhere in the assignment.

Inline Code Suggestions

An IDE may display an inline code suggestion while you type.

If you accept a suggestion that contributes code to your submitted program, treat it according to the current assignment's acknowledgement and citation guidance.

The important question is not only where the suggestion appeared. It is whether an outside tool contributed material to the work you submit.

AI Chat Versus IDE Feature

Part B asks you to discuss IDE features that made programming easier or more effective.

An IDE feature and an AI-generated answer are not automatically the same thing.

For example:

• Syntax highlighting is an IDE feature.
• Markdown Preview is an IDE feature.
• An integrated terminal is an IDE feature.
• An AI chat response is generated assistance.

If you discuss AI-assisted functionality as one of your observed features, make sure it is permitted by the assignment and describe your own experience accurately. Follow the required acknowledgement guidance for AI use.

Do Not Invent Citations

A citation should identify a source you actually used.

Do not:

• Add a source you did not consult.
• Invent an author, title, date, URL, or publication.
• Ask an AI tool to fabricate a reference.
• Copy a citation without checking that it points to the source you used.

If citation details are unclear, use the Shapiro Library guidance or ask your instructor.

Keep Sources With the Work They Influenced

The two assignment deliverables use different places for references:

• Part A name_age.py — comment-based References section in the source file
• Part B ide_features.md — Markdown ## References section when outside sources were used

Follow the starter file and README for each deliverable rather than moving all citations to one location.

Where to Get Help

For assignment-specific questions about whether a source or AI use is permitted, contact your instructor through D2L Brightspace.

For SNHU guidance:

• Student Generative AI Guide: https://snhu.ink/StudentGenAIGuide
• Citation and AI guidance: https://snhu.ink/CitationAndAI

For assignment instructions:

• Part A Construct: https://github.com/GC-STEM/it140-m2-assignment/blob/main/Part-A/src/README.md
• Part B Reflection: https://github.com/GC-STEM/it140-m2-assignment/blob/main/Part-B/README.md
• D2L Brightspace: https://learn.snhu.edu/