APA

The APA Style blog published a post describing their recommendations for citing GenAI (updated in February 2024). This post was geared toward those who used GenAI to write a part of a text (vs. an entire paper, which you should avoid doing). The main takeaways are as follows:

• If possible, include in your text a description of how you used a GenAI tool or the prompt that you used to get a particular output.

  • E.g.: 

    ​​​​​When prompted with the question "What are the limitation of ChatGPT?" ChatGPT responded with a list of eight limitations, including "inability to reason," "tendency to generate unreliable information," and "limited world knowledge" (OpenAI, 2023).

• For your reference list entry, follow the format for a piece of software (Chapter 10 section 10 of the APA 7th edition manual):

  • Author/Group. (year of version). Title of Tool (Version if applicable) [Description of tool]. Source/URL

    • E.g., OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (March 14 version) [Large language model]. URL

• It is also advisable to include a copy of the full text or discussion in an appendix (make sure to refer to content in the appendix IN your text)

MLA

The MLA Style Center posted their recommendations for citing GenAI in a 2023 post. The highlight of the post is that the format easily adapts to the MLA core-elements template, with the notes below:

• The tool is not the author. Following MLA guidelines for no-author sources, this means the Works Cited entry for a GenAI will begin with the "Title." 

• The “Title of Source” in this case is a description of the output (content) created by the GenAI.

• The "Title of Container" is the AI tool used.

• The "Version" is the version of the AI tool in the most specific form you can find  (e.g. ChatGPT 3.5 or ChatGPT 4.0).

• The "Publisher" is the company that created the AI

• The "Date" is the date you generated the content (or interacted with the AI to get the output you are citing)

• The "Location" is the URL

  • You can use outside tools like ShareGPT to share a permalink (or unique URL) for that content

An example of the recommendations would look like:

“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, URL.

​​​​​​Chicago

The Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition (CMOS 18) includes a section on citing GenAi (section 14.112).

If an author relies on AI for the content of their essay, CMOS 18 requires that the author clearly state how the AI tool was used -either in the text, a preface, or similar section. The AI source does not need to be included in the bibliography or reference list, but there must be an in-text citation (similar to a personal communication or social media post). 

Note that unless you use a browser extension like ShareGPT or A.I.Archives, to create a public link (similar to a permalink or DOI) do not include a URL, as the URL for a chat is not retrievable for those with a different account.

The following examples illustrate how GenAi might be cited in an essay following the Chicago Manual of Style.

A footnote or endnote where the prompt is mentioned in the main text:

4. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, December 9, 2023, www.Public-URL.ca

If the prompt was not included in the main text:

5. Response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” ChatGPT-3.5, OpenAI, December 9, 2023, edited for style and accuracy

Author-Date in-text citation:

The following recipe for pizza dough was generated on December 9, 2023, by ChatGPT-3.5.

As mentioned above, GenAi does not need to have an entry in the bibliography, however, if your instructor requests that you include the GenAi in the bibliography, the entry is listed under the publisher or developer (vs the name of the tool).

Bibliography example:

Google. Response to "How many copy editors does it take to fix a book-length manuscript?" Gemini 1.0, February 10, 2024. www. Public-URL.com