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Artificial Intelligence & Chatbots: How Do I Cite?

An introduction to generative AI and its use in teaching, research, and publishing. You will find guidelines below for citing AI sources (such as ChatGPT). Always refer to LIU policies and your professor's instructions on the use of AI in your research.

Citing AI

For detailed information on the academic use of AI and up-to-date guidance on how to cite it effectively and ethically, please refer to the following Library Guides:

American Psychological Association (APA)

Modern Language Association (MLA)

The Chicago Manual of Style

American Psychological Association (APA)

The American Psychological Association recommends that you acknowledge ChatGPT and similar AI tools when you reproduce its words and other content (e.g., images) within your own work.

General Format for References:

Although non-retrievable data and other works that cannot be recovered by readers in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications, with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating and transcripts are not retained for future reference. As such, quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is more like sharing an algorithm’s output. You will credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and its corresponding in-text citation.

Generative AI tools are treated similarly to software. The company or creator of the tool is considered the author. This is the format for Reference entries:

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.

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

Modern Language Association (MLA)

The Modern Language Association recommends that you acknowledge ChatGPT and similar AI tools when you reproduce its words and other content (e.g., images) within your work.

General Format for References:

MLA’s method for citing sources uses a template of core elements that writers can use to evaluate sources (including AI) and create works cited list entries based on that evaluation. 

MLA recognizes that with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. As such, they do not recommend treating the AI tool as an author. Instead, the first identifying element in your citation will be the exact wording of your prompt. 

Example:

While the green light in The Great Gatsby might be said to chiefly symbolize four main things: optimism, the unattainability of the American dream, greed, and covetousness (“Describe the symbolism”), arguably the most important—the one that ties all four themes together—is greed.

Works Cited

“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 21 Nov. version, OpenAI, 8 Dec. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat

Chicago Manual of Style

The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that you acknowledge ChatGPT and similar AI tools when you reproduce its words and other content (e.g., images) within your work. To sum things up, you must credit ChatGPT when you reproduce its words within your own work, but unless you include a publicly available URL, that information should be put in the text or in a note—not in a bibliography or reference list. Other AI-generated text can be cited similarly. 

General Format for References:

AI-generated text is cited as personal communication because the conversation cannot be accessed by other people. All citations for AI chatbots should include the name of the AI, a description of the prompt, and the date accessed. With footnotes or endnotes, also include the organization that created the AI and the URL. The CMOS website suggests citing AI in footnotes or endnotes, like other sources, and mentioning all of the relevant information, such as a description of the prompt and the date you accessed it. Alternatively, you can cite AI in Chicago using parenthetical citations if you prefer the author-date system. Do not include AI chatbots in the bibliography or reference list. 

Footnote or Endnote Example:

1 Text generated by ChatGPT. OpenAI, July 5, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

  • Number. Footnote or endnote number based on its sequence in the body of your text - 1.
  • Author. Name of AI tool - ChatGPT
  • Publisher. Developer of AI tool - OpenAI
  • Date. When content was generated, Month Day, Year - July 5, 2023.
  • URL [optional]. This is not considered an essential element of the citation, particularly when AI-generated content is not accessible (i.e., requires personal login or subscription). If included, use unique URL for shareable content or a general URL for inaccessible content - https://chat.openai.com/chat.