InfoGuides: Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Citing GenAI

Tips before getting started

Please note that the content within this guide is subject to continuous updates, reflecting the ongoing progression and transformations within the realm of artificial intelligence.

Do I need to cite my GenAI tool like ChatGPT?

The simple answer is: yes! You should always cite the sources you used to assist you with any university work.

If you're using generated responses as a primary source, you should definitely cite it for this purpose, just as you would any piece of evidence.
If you use a tool such as ChatGPT to help you in the research or writing process, you may be required to cite or acknowledge it in some way. Check if your instructor has guidelines about this.
Don't cite ChatGPT or other tools as a source of factual information (e.g., asking it to define a term and then quoting its definition in your paper). These tools are not considered a credible source for use in academic writing.

Can I use a GenAI tool like ChatGPT to help me complete my work?

If you use ChatGPT to write your assignment for you, it will be considered as plagiarism, even if you cite the source. Please refer to the Stearns Center's AI Text Generators reference page. [Opens new window]
Check your assignment guidelines or with your instructor for more information.

How to Cite Text Generative AI

MLA suggests creating a Works Cited entry for any responses you quote or paraphrase from ChatGPT, as well as an in-text citation at the point where you include it in your text.

The Works Cited entry starts with the title (the specific prompt you used, in quotation marks). Then write “ChatGPT” and the date of the version you used, “OpenAI,” the date when you received the response, and the general URL of the tool.

The in-text citation consists of a shortened version of the title (shortened to three words) in quotation marks

Example

MLA Format

“Text of prompt” prompt. ChatGPT, Day Month version, OpenAI, Day Month

Year, chat.openai.com.

MLA Works Cited Entry

“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

MLA In-Text Citation

(“Tell me about”)

SOURCE: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/ [Opens new window]

Example

When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).

Reference

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.

Example

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Reference

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model].

https://chat.openai.com/chat

SOURCE: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt [Opens new window]

Chicago style recommends citing ChatGPT in a Chicago footnote, treating it as a personal communication similar to an unpublished interview. Personal communications are non-retrievable sources and therefore shouldn’t be included in your Chicago bibliography.

If the prompt you used on ChatGPT is already mentioned in your text, the footnote consists of the phrase “Text generated by ChatGPT,” the date you prompted it, “OpenAI,” and the URL. Use the general URL of the tool, not one that links you to the specific response—this won’t work for other users.

Example

You do need to credit ChatGPT and similar tools whenever you use the text that they generate in your own work. But for most types of writing, you can simply acknowledge the AI tool in your text (e.g., “The following recipe for pizza dough was generated by ChatGPT”).

If you need a more formal citation—for example, for a student paper or for a research article—a numbered footnote or endnote might look like this:

1. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

ChatGPT stands in as “author” of the content, and OpenAI (the company that developed ChatGPT) is the publisher or sponsor, followed by the date the text was generated. After that, the URL tells us where the ChatGPT tool may be found, but because readers can’t necessarily get to the cited content (see below), that URL isn’t an essential element of the citation.

If the prompt hasn’t been included in the text, it can be included in the note:

1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” OpenAI, March 7, 2023.

SOURCE: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0422.html [Opens new window]