Even though plagiarism detection won’t catch generative AI chatbots anytime soon, you still have options to stop ChatGPT and other generative AI tools from being used in your course assignments and exams.
This article will
- Explain how plagiarism checkers work & why they can’t detect generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini
- Compare plagiarism and AI detection software
- Show how to proctor online exams and assignments assignments to prevent AI cheating
- Provide an AI citation generator for APA, MLA, and Chicago
Click the links above to skip ahead
What is plagiarism detection?
Plagiarism detection is the process of comparing written work against existing sources to find content that may have been copied, reused, or used without proper credit. They compare text submissions with sources such as websites, journals, books, other published materials, then create a similarity report that flags exact matches, close matches with a few word changes, and possible paraphrasing. Plagiarism detection also extends to content like images, graphics, code, and music.
How do plagiarism checkers work?
Plagiarism checkers analyze submitted text by dividing it into smaller parts, then comparing it with large collections of existing content to identify copied or closely matching text.
Five stages of plagiarism detection:
- Text preparation: Formatting is removed, and the submission is converted into plain, searchable text so the words and phrases can be compared with source material.
- Source comparison: The submission is compared with source collections such as websites, journals, books, and prior submissions.
- Match detection: It identifies exact matches, close matches that only make a few changes, and paraphrasing.
- Similarity scoring: The detection software calculates how much of the text overlaps with other material and provides a similarity score.
- Human review: A reviewer can use the similarity report to decide whether the overlap is properly cited, acceptable, or a possible violation.
How to cite AI
Citing AI-generated content depends on which citation style you’re using. APA, MLA, and Chicago each published AI citation guidelines.
Do you need to cite AI-generated content?
Yes, you should cite AI-generated content because it isn’t fully your original work. Citing AI is part of responsible AI use because it provides transparency and gives readers helpful context about how you created and developed your work, even when the tool was only used to help draft, fix punctuation and grammar, or translate text.
Disclosing AI use can also save you from some awkward conversations.
For example, AI tools can translate text pretty well, but they can be very literal, and they don’t always understand that “technically correct” and “something a human should say out loud” aren’t the same thing.
You’ll be glad you acknowledged using AI to translate text if the tool translates a harmless phrase a little too literally and turns it into something rude, inaccurate, or culturally inappropriate.
AI Citation Generator
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Parenthetical citation
Narrative citation
Can ChatGPT be detected as plagiarism?
ChatGPT can’t be accurately detected as plagiarism in most cases because it generates new text rather than directly copying existing text. It also tailors responses based on the prompt it’s given. However, plagiarism detectors could potentially flag AI-generated text if parts of it are too similar to text from existing sources.
Is using AI plagiarism?
AI isn’t automatically plagiarism, but it is generally considered cheating in academic settings when it’s used without permission or when AI-generated content is presented as their own. However, there are also situations where AI use may be allowed or required as it’s cited and disclosed.
If chatbots don’t plagiarize, how do they work?
AI chatbots generate entirely new, custom responses based on the insane amount of resources they’ve been trained on. Although it may seem like they’re copying from those resources, they’re basically just predicting what to say based on the patterns they’ve learned. That’s why they give you slightly different, custom responses even if you ask the same question twice.
More details about how chatbots work
These technologies are the reason generative AI chatbots can understand what you’re saying, figure out what you really mean, and respond like a real person:
- Large Language Models (LLMs): These are basically chatbots’ brains; they’re trained on tons of text to help chatbots understand and generate human-like responses.
- Machine Learning (ML): Allows chatbots to learn from examples and data so they can give better, more accurate responses over time.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): Helps chatbots read and respond to your messages in a natural way.
- Natural Language Understanding (NLU): helps chatbots figure out what you really mean. This goes beyond simple word-for-word interpretations to understand intent, sentiment, and context.
- Natural Language Generation (NLG): A part of NLP that helps chatbots generate human-like responses.
Plagiarism checkers vs AI detectors
Is AI detection the same as plagiarism detection?
AI detection and plagiarism detection are different, but the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
- AI detection estimates whether writing is likely to be AI-generated based on statistical patterns in the text. They analyze writing characteristics like word choice and the length and structure of sentences to estimate whether the text is likely to be AI-generated.
- Plagiarism detection compares the text to existing text from websites, journals, books, and other sources to find copied, closely matching, or paraphrased content.
Like any technology, detection tools can be wrong, so the results should be treated as one piece of evidence, not definitive proof that a person used AI or plagiarized. And the review of any potential misconduct needs context.
- Did they have AI write the entire assignment, or did they only use Grammarly to make a few sentences more concise?
- Was it a situation of accidental patchwriting plagiarism?
- Were the rules objective and clear about if and how AI could be used?
Reviewers should consider whether there was any room for misinterpretation before deciding whether it was intentional cheating or honest misuse.
Are AI detectors accurate?
AI detectors are more likely to flag text that was copied directly from an AI tool, but they become less dependable when the text has been revised, paraphrased, translated, or edited with another AI tool (Liu et al., 2024; Weber-Wulff et al., 2023).
One study found that a commercial AI detector performed better on unedited AI text, lost accuracy on paraphrased AI text, and missed most AI text that had been “humanized” by another tool (Ibrahim et al., 2025). Other research found that results can vary widely by detector, text type, model version, and testing situation (Al-Rawas et al., 2026). Because of that, AI detection results should prompt a closer review of the work, including the student’s drafts, citations, writing history, assignment requirements, and any follow-up discussion.
Online proctoring vs. Plagiarism and AI
Can online proctoring software prevent AI cheating and plagiarism?
Online proctoring can prevent the use of AI during online exams and assignments using a combination of AI and live proctors. This approach, which is called hybrid proctoring, allows instructors and exam admins to block all applications, browser extensions, and websites, or they can allow specific tools and sites approved for that assessment.
For example, instructors can block everything while allowing access to assessment-specific:
- Software such as Word and Excel, as well as coding environments and other industry-specific platforms
- Resources like research articles, case studies, and specific websites
Honorlock's hybrid proctoring system can block:
- Hidden AI exam assistants that can “see” or “hear” what’s on screen and provide answers in real time
- Generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Gemini
- Browser-based AI extensions such as Grammarly, Gemini in Chrome, and Google Lens’ homework helper
Here are some of our AI-based proctoring features that help stop AI exam cheating by:
Detecting cell phones, smartwatches, and tablets
Honorlock doesn’t have to rely on a live proctor catching a test taker sneaking a cell phone, especially when proctors may be monitoring multiple exams at once. Our cell phone detection toolkit catches cell phones and secondary devices by detecting handheld devices and nearby Apple devices in through Honorlock’s exclusive AI-enabled Apple Handoff technology.
Preventing copying and pasting
Honorlock can prevent test takers from copying and pasting, which protects assessments that require writing, including essays, short answers, and coding tasks. This is especially useful for securing assessments when test takers have a general idea of the topic or task beforehand, since they could use AI to generate responses, code, or formulas in advance and then paste it into the submission.
Listening for phrases that activate AI voice assistants
Honorlock’s Smart Voice Detection listens for phrases such as “Hey Siri” and “Alexa,” then alerts a live proctor while recording and transcribing what was said. This helps secure exams when test takers try to activate voice assistants on secondary devices to answer questions or access other AI tools.
This AI proctoring feature secures exams from test takers who may attempt to use commands that activate AI voice assistants like Alexa or Siri and have them answer questions or access other AI tools.
AI tools can support learning, but they also make it easier for test takers to generate answers, reuse outside material, or get help during exams and assignments.
The content these AI tools generate will only improve, and AI detection will always be a step behind. You need the flexibility to allow approved resources while blocking unauthorized AI, websites, apps, and secondary devices that could compromise exam integrity.
Honorlock helps higher education institutions, corporate organizations, and credentialing associations secure exams and assignments while making deliberate decisions about when AI is allowed and when it isn’t.
