Academia

Laptop with code, plant, and mug on desk

How to cite ChatGPT in your thesis: when to cite, when to acknowledge (with APA, Harvard and MLA examples)

You're writing your literature review, and you ask ChatGPT to explain a concept you are still struggling with after multiple tries. Its answer is clear, better than anything you've read so far, and you'd like to use part of it. So you search for how to cite ChatGPT.

Before you format anything, ask yourself one question: what is ChatGPT doing in this part of your thesis? The answer decides whether you cite it, acknowledge it, or cite something else entirely.

Most of the time, ChatGPT belong…

Oct 17, 2026 04:50pm

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia & Postgraduate Studies

9 min read

people sitting down near table with assorted laptop computers

Is AI making us dumber? What the research on AI and critical thinking means for your doctorate

You've probably seen the headlines: an MIT study says ChatGPT is bad for your brain. If you've used AI most days during your doctorate, you might be wondering what it has done to your thinking, and whether your supervisor or examiners will notice.

The research gives a clearer answer than the headlines do. Here's what it says, where it's weak, and what it means for how you use AI in your research.

So, does using AI make us dumber? It depends on how you use AI. In the studies so far, peopl…

Oct 17, 2026 04:48pm

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia & Postgraduate Studies

11 min read

How to use AI for a literature review without outsourcing your thinking

In our book, we tell the story of Daniel, a second-year PhD student in health sciences. It's Thursday afternoon; his literature review draft is due to his supervisor on Monday, and he has twelve papers open in his browser. He's skimmed most of them and read parts of two.

So he pastes the links into an AI tool and asks for the main themes and debates. Two minutes later he has a tidy paragraph that groups the authors neatly and ends with a sentence that would sit nicely in a thesis. He edits it…

Oct 17, 2026 08:43am

By Benita Olivier

Under Tools, Academia & Postgraduate Studies

11 min read

man wearing headphones while sitting on chair in front of MacBook

How to declare AI use in your thesis (with example statements)

It's a few weeks before you submit. You open the thesis submission form and find a new section on generative AI. Do you tick "no AI used" or "AI used"? And if you tick the second, what do you write underneath?

You've used AI on and off for three years. It suggested search terms for your literature review, tidied a few clumsy paragraphs, and once helped you fix an error in your code. Does all of that count? Some of it? None of it?

Many doctoral researchers get stuck here, and many worry tha…

Oct 1, 2026 05:23pm

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia & Postgraduate Studies

10 min read

Rethinking work-life balance: A researcher's guide to designing a sustainable academic life

Last Friday, I dropped the ball in spectacular fashion. Overwhelmed by multiple projects and commitments, I missed an important email from my son's school about a day trip. By the time I realised my mistake, it was too late - all his classmates were going on this exciting adventure, but he wasn't.

The guilt was immediate and crushing.

This experience made me think deeply about work-life balance, particularly for those of us driven to create an impact while desperately wanting to maintain a…

Jul 6, 2025 12:42pm

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia, Productivity & Postgraduate Studies

13 min read

Oxford Brookes University Graduation Guest Speech: Two Unconventional Truths

I was the guest speaker at a graduation at Oxford Brookes University on 6 September 2023. I feel both honoured and humbled by this experience. I always looked at the guest speakers at graduations and thought they were super-humans – they looked calm and in control – as if they were busy cooking oats for a family member while, in actual fact, they are the centre of the attention of 300-odd people.

While I don’t know what I looked like up on the stage, I do know that humans are humans – we stre…

Sep 8, 2023 09:36am

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia

4 min read

Finding your research niche: the what, the why and the how

There is no need to jump into a research niche area from day one. But… we also know the value of developing a niche area and growing within that niche. This blog post will guide you in developing your research niche area.

Feb 11, 2023 04:39am

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia

1 min read

7 principles to consider while navigating the academic journey

Academia is like a real-life game, complete with roles and rules. Over the years, I learnt from those around me, and I’d like to pay it forward by sharing seven principles to consider while navigating the academic journey. Just a disclaimer before I continue: these principles are based on my own experience, each person’s story is different, and not everything will apply to everyone. Take what works for you, and let go of the rest.

Nov 26, 2022 03:57am

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia

8 min read

The Academic Role: What do Faculty do?

Have you ever wondered what faculty do? Here's a sneak peek of a random week in a professor's calendar. Academia is full of variety.

Aug 5, 2021 08:51am

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia

4 min read

Go Fast, Go Far, Go with Kindness and Respect

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” - African proverb. Let us value others for who they are whether it’s for going fast or far. The Island University of Kind Efficiency is recruiting, and this is your official invitation to a job interview.

Oct 20, 2020 04:16am

By Benita Olivier

Under Academia & Life out there

3 min read

Life & Academia

Academia

How to cite ChatGPT in your thesis: when to cite, when to acknowledge (with APA, Harvard and MLA examples)

Is AI making us dumber? What the research on AI and critical thinking means for your doctorate

How to use AI for a literature review without outsourcing your thinking

How to declare AI use in your thesis (with example statements)

Rethinking work-life balance: A researcher's guide to designing a sustainable academic life

Oxford Brookes University Graduation Guest Speech: Two Unconventional Truths

Finding your research niche: the what, the why and the how

7 principles to consider while navigating the academic journey

The Academic Role: What do Faculty do?

Go Fast, Go Far, Go with Kindness and Respect