“Generative AI is not a reliable or reproducible source of information, unlike a journal article or even webpage.” (University of Sydney) Therefore, if it is appropriate to use generative AI, you should “cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content that was created by it; acknowledge all functional uses of the tool.” (MLA, 2023)
Furthermore, since "another person cannot obtain the same completion you did, even if they use the same prompt," (University of Sydney) you should “provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response” in your text (McAdoo, 2024). You may also document the full text of responses from an AI tool in an appendix of your paper or in supplementary materials (McAdoo, 2024).
The minimum information for an acceptable citation involves six elements (MLA, 2023).
Given the rapid evolution of generative AI, details for each citation style might be adjusted frequently.
You should provide your prompt you used, and paraphrase or quote the content that was generated by an AI tool. For 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).
In a reference list, you should include:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Please note that the in-text citation and reference format may vary depending on different citations styles.
General Format:
Publisher. (Year). Title of Container (Version) [Large language model]. URL
Example:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
More information: McAdoo, T. (2024). How to cite ChatGPT. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt
Since readers cannot necessarily get to the cited content, Chicago style thinks the URL is optional.
If the prompt has been included in the text, the general format is as follows:
Text generated by Title of Container, Publisher, Month Day, Year. Optional URL
Example:
Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.
If the prompt hasn’t been included in the text, the general format is as follows:
Title of Container, response to "Prompt you used," Publisher, Month Day, Year. Optional URL
Example:
ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” OpenAI, March 7, 2023.
More information: The Chicago Manual of Style Online
Use the Software format in the IEEE Reference Guide (pp. 16-17).
Software Format:
J. K. Author. Title of Software. Date Repository or Archive. (version or year). Publisher Name. Accessed: Date (when applicable). [Type of Medium]. Global Persistent Identifier. Available: site/path/file
Simplified Format:
Title of Software. (Version). Publisher. Accessed: Month, Day, Year. [Online]. Available: URL
Example:
ChatGPT. (GPT-4). OpenAI. Accessed: Sep. 26, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://chat.openai.com/chat
More information: IEEE Reference Guide
General Format:
"Prompt you used" prompt. Title of Container, Version, Publisher, Day Month, Year. URL
Example:
“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.
More information: How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?