How to Cite AI - ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence

AI chatbot apps like ChatGPT and Bing Chat, are powerful tools and should be used carefully.   If you are allowed by your professor to use AI as a source for your assignments and papers, here are a few things you should know at the outset. 

1. Check with your professor before using AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, Google Gemini, etc., in any assignment or in assignment preparation.  Some professors may not allow any AI use or have specific rules to follow. Also check before using any generative AI features built into other apps.
2. Check the facts! Text AI tools like ChatGPT write responses without concern for factual accuracy. These tools do not disclose the origin of the “information” they provide and sometimes completely make up information or fake source citations. Use non-AI sources to verify accuracy.  We recommend you use — and cite — those non-AI sources instead!
3. Declare your use of AI tools with an AI Use Disclosure (or other statement as directed by your professor) that describes which tool you used and how you used it. Include an AI Use Disclosure, even if you only used AI tools for brainstorming or other preparation for an assignment.
4. Cite the specific AI-generated content you use or take ideas from (text, images, videos, audio, code, etc.). We recommend including both in-text citations and full citations in your References.
5. Do not use sources that are cited by AI tools without reading those sources yourself. There are two different reasons for this:
   • Generative AI tools can create fake citations.
   • These tools may cite a real piece of writing, but the cited content may be inaccurate. 

Above all, make sure to use any work generated by AI carefully and transparently, and always check with your instructor before using AI for coursework.  

Note that ChatGPT is used in the guidance and examples here, but they can be applied to other AI models too. This page covers guidance for APA, MLA, and Chicago styles, as of February 2024.

Sample AI Use Disclosure Statement

Unless otherwise directed by your instructor, we recommend you include an AI Use Disclosure statement in your assignment. A good place to put the statement is after the body of your essay and before the References. Include in your statement the AI tools you used and 1-3 sentences about how you used them. We recommend you include a statement any time you cite AI-generated content and any time you use AI tools as part of your assignment process (even if you are not citing AI-generated content directly).

Example:
"I used ChatGPT to help me find a television commercial that fits the goals of this assignment. It gave me the example of the Nike “Dream Big” commercial and explained how some of the technical elements relate to polysemy of commodities. I then used my class notes to apply these elements to the commercial."

This is a summary of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) current advice for citing generative AI content, as of April 7, 2023.

Here are some guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in APA style:

• In APA, generative AI tools are treated similarly to software. The company or creator of the tool is considered the “author.”
• When you reference this content directly in your text, you should include an in-text citation, and an associated entry in your reference list.
• State the Prompt in Your Paper and Include Copies of AI Responses in an Appendix Section.  In your assignment, describe what AI tool you used and how you used it. Include the exact text of the question(s) or prompt(s) you entered and relevant portions of the AI-generated response.
• Unless otherwise directed by your instructor, include a copy of the AI-generated content (e.g., the full transcript of your ChatGPT chat, DALL-E images, etc.) in an Appendix section of your paper. Mention the Appendix in your paper at least once so your reader knows it exists and knows what it includes.

General format for references:

Company or creator of the tool. (Year this version was released). Name of the AI tool or model (version information if known such as version number, version date, or version name) [Type of AI Model]. URL link address to general site of AI tool or to specific content if available

Examples:

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

OpenAI. (2022). DALL-E (version 2) [Large text-to-image model]. https://labs.openai.com/s/W8Jar2MsCI7UxAyR65ufi7NK

In-Text Citation Example:

(OpenAI, 2023)

This is a summary of the Modern Language Association's (MLA) current advice for citing generative AI content, released March 17, 2023.

Here are some general guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in MLA style:

• MLA style is generally more flexible that either APA or Chicago style, so while they provide specific examples for citing commonly used AI tools, they encourage writers to adapt those guidelines to fit the situation. 
• Cite the AI tool when you incorporate its output into your work. This includes direct quotations, images, and data, as well as paraphrased content.
• The MLA views AI-generated content as a source with no author.   Use the title of the source in your in-text citations, and in your reference list. The title should be a brief description of the AI-generated content, such as an abbreviated version of the prompt you used. 
• When you reference this content directly in your text, you should include an in-text citation, and an associated entry in your Works Cited section.
• If you use an AI tool for some other purpose, such as translating, editing, or generating an outline, include a note about this somewhere in your paper.

General format for references:

“Full text of the prompt” prompt. Name of the AI tool, version, Creator of the tool, date content was generated, URL.

Examples:

"Examples of restorative justice initiatives" prompt. ChatGPT, 23 Mar. version, OpenAI, 20 Feb. 2024, chat.openai.com/chat.

“Does caffeine increase job performance?” prompt. ChatGPT, 14 Mar. version, OpenAI, 6 Dec. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

In-Text Citation Example:

("Examples of restorative justice")

This is a summary of the Chicago Manual of Style's current advice for citing generative AI content, released in spring 2023.

Here are some general guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in Chicago style:

• Treat the AI tool as the author of the content.
• If possible, describe the prompt used to generate the content in the text, but if that approach doesn't work, you can include that information in a footnote or endnote.
• The date used in your citation will be the date the content was generated.
• Chicago Manual of Style indicates to omit referencing ChatGPT in the bibliography unless a publicly available, direct link to the prompt response can be provided.

Footnotes and Endnotes - General Format

1. Author, Title, Publisher, Date, url for the tool.

Examples:

Example if the prompt was included in-text:
1. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, December 7, 2023. 

Example if the prompt was not included in-text: 
1.  ChatGPT, response to “How do I open a bank account?” OpenAI, December 7, 2023.