Cite Specific AI Uses
Whether you are writing a paper, creating a slideshow presentation, using AI generated images, or making a film, you need to be transparent regarding your uses of AI technology in the creation and dissemination of your work.
Most style guides require an in-text citation or acknowledgement and a reference for use of AI tools. This guide describes the AI policies and citation standards of major formatting styles.
APA Standards for Citing Generative AI
APA came out with ChatGPT-based citation standards for generative AI use in 2023, and though these are adaptable to new generative AI tools, APA will likely be putting out more guidance on citation of AI-generated text, information, and images. Specifics such as what to place in the "Author" position differ markedly among formatting styles, and these seem likely to change as various platforms enter the scene.
Remember: APA defers to instructors on whether any use of AI is acceptable.
APA considers the creators of the algorithm/model to be the source for the citation; therefore, the company name takes the author position in the reference-page citation. Here is an example of the format:
Author. (Date). Name of platform (Version of tool) [Large language model]. URL
Or
OpenAI. (Date). ChatGPT (version) [Large language model]. url
APA Reference List
This is how the website APA Style (2023) describes the breakdown of the citation elements for the Reference List. Users of other models should apply these elements to their specific AI tools and usage:
Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.
Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.
Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.
The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.
Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited
Source: APA Style. (2023). How to cite ChatGPT. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt
APA In-Text
APA Style (2023) described ways to credit AI use within the text of a paper (this would apply to presentations as well). Authors should refer to the AI in relevant sections of the paper. For example, AI assistance with the literature review should be briefly described and cited in the Introduction, but AI as a research tool might be included in the Methods section. Since APA suggests quoting the prompt and response, it is good practice to keep accurate notes of all prompts and responses during research involving generative AI.
APA: Appendices for Demonstrating AI-generated Text
To provide clarity and transparency regarding specific uses of generative AI in a paper, APA Style (2023) suggests the option of including appendices with the full prompts for and responses from the AI. Following standard practice, the appended material should be referenced within the paper. Here is an example of the format (note the parenthetical citation and the direction to see Appendix):
In text
When prompted “What are the benefits of hands-free CPR?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “hands-free CPR is effective for maintaining blood flow to the organs in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest ” and "it is easier to use for untrained rescuers” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).
In Reference List
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Feb 15 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Cite AI in MLA Style
MLA has published a page in its "Ask the MLA" series that explains how to adapt the MLA formatting template for accurate citation of AI platforms and specific generative AI functions like paraphrase, summary, and answering prompts.
Basically, MLA requires the following actions of authors:
Some AI blend or hallucinate sources, and you will not know if a secondary source is authentic unless you find it and read it yourself.
Source: MLA Style Center (2025). How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/
Visit this site for helpful examples of how to use the paraphrased material that AI gives you--essentially, you create your own summary of the paraphrased material and add an in-text citation to show your original prompt--and other tricky AI questions.
Here is an example from MLA Style Center for dealing with a passage (visit site to view) from Chat GPT about the significance of the green light in The Great Gatsby. The student author composed this based on the longer paraphrase generated by AI, but it uses none of the AI phrasing; the prompt, in quotation marks, forms the in-text parenthetical citation.
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.
“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.
Source: MLA Style Center (2025). How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/
Although the specifics of order and format will change for other citation styles, these strategies for dealing with AI paraphrase and summary are adaptable to other formats--from APA to Chicago, AMA, and more.
Chicago Style Policies for Citing AI
The Chicago Manual of Style, Online describes several options for in-text acknowledgement and citation of AI use, from an acknowledgement in the body of the paper of what AI platform was used and how it was used to (author, date) or footnote/endnote format. The online manual gives authority to the instructor or publisher on the details and degree of acknowledgement; however Chicago does not allow for a bibliography reference list citation for AI generated material because the original material is unique and therefore irretrievable (despite any generated url).
General In-text Format in Chicago Style
The tool (i.e. ChatGPT, Perplexity) is cited in the author position, while the developer/provider of the tool (i.e. ChatGPT, Perplexity AI) is placed in the publisher position. Thus, unless otherwise included in the text, the author/date citation would look like this: (platform, Month day, year) or (ChatGPT, February 15, 2025).
General Footnote/Endnote Format in Chicago Style
For creating footnotes or endnotes to credit AI sources, writers follow the same positioning rule, applying it to the Chicago footnote format: (text generated by platform, company, Month day, year, url) or (text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, February 15, 2025).
See Also
The Chicago Manual of Style (2017).
For academic writing and scholarly publication, The Chicago Manual of Style Online also recommends checking for updates in the standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE has published a position on the use of AI and its intersections with authorship.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research © 2025 by Mary Lamothe, PhD is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
