MLA Citation Guide: Artificial Intelligence & Chatbots

1. Title of Source. Description of content created with AI tool within quotes, followed by the word prompt 
2. Title of Container. Name of AI tool in italics (i.e., ChatGPT)
3. Contributor
4. Version. Specific version of AI tool. If version includes a date, use Day Month Year format - 23 Nov. 2023
5. Number
6. Publisher. Organization/Developer of AI tool (i.e., OpenAI)
7. Publication Date. Date content was generated, Day Month Year - 12 Dec. 2023
8. Location. Use unique URL if content is available or general URL of AI tool if content inaccessible (i.e., requires personal login or subscription), https:// protocol can be omitted. 

See the MLA template of core elements for additional guidance.

AI-generated images are an emerging technology, and there are not yet clear guidelines for how to incorporate them into existing referencing styles. Our current recommendation for how to reference AI-generated images for MLA is included below. Additionally, we recommend that you include the question or prompt that generated the image where possible, to provide context for your readers. 

To include the AI generated image in your work, provide a figure number and brief title above the image. Below the image, provide a caption that explains that the work was generated using an AI tool, and what prompt was used. No works cited list entry is required for an image that you have produced using an AI tool.

Caption

Note. Description of figure.

Example:

Figure 1

An AI-generated image of an owl

Note. Image generated using Adobe Firefly from the prompt brown owl in a forest.

Click here for information on citing creative visual works.

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 own work.

When using AI in your course assignments, it is important to:

• Confirm with your professor whether AI tools like ChatGPT are allowed for each assignment
• Verify information and sources generated by AI tools

Remember that AI can generate false information, cite non-existent sources (or, "hallucinations"), and ignore principles of attribution. This raises ethical concerns when choosing it for your scholarly research.

Note: Guidance on the academic use of AI tools is changing rapidly. Check here often for up-to-date guidelines or Ask a Librarian!

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

Author
Do not treat the AI tool as an author. This recommendation follows the policies developed by various publishers, including the MLA’s journal PMLA. 

Title of Source
Describe what was generated by the AI tool. This may involve including information about the prompt in the Title of Source element if you have not done so in the text. 

Title of Container
Use the Title of Container element to name the AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT).

Version
Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible. For example, if you are using ChatGPT 3.5, you will assign a specific date to the version (e.g., 21 Nov. version).

Publisher
Name the company that made the tool.

Date
Give the date the content was generated.

Location
Give the general URL for the tool.