About GenAI
Generative Artificial Intelligence or GenAI is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that is capable of generating new and unique content in various formats such as texts, images, and audio. While traditional AI systems depend on "predefined rules or pre-existing data to make decisions," GenAI employs "algorithms and neural networks" allowing them "to learn patterns and relationships" based on the input or training data, thus, producing original compositions. (Kwantlen Polytechnic University, n.d., p. 1).
Notes:
- Before incorporating any GenAI content in your coursework, verify with your course instructor that the use of such technology in your assignment(s) is permitted and clarify the extent and capacity to which it may be incorporated.
- Be vigilant about using GenAI content. The information provided by any GenAI tool can be false, inaccurate, biased, out-dated, or misleading.
- APA style for GenAI recommends adding the full text of GenAI content in appendix of the assignment, ensuring to follow proper APA style that it is stated in the body of the paper where applicable. See example below in the tab In-Text Citation for Narrative In-Text and Parenthetical.
Information You Need
To write a citation for Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) you will need the following pieces of information:
- Author: Software developer/creator
- Year: The year of the version used
- Title: Name of the GenAI tool
- Version number: Differs depending on the tool. Use the format provided by the tool developer.
- Type of Model: Differs depending on the GenAI tool. Use the format provided by the tool developer.
- URL: Links directly to the GenAI tool (not the developer's homepage)
How to cite ChatGPT
The use of GenAI in academic work and citing such sources is an ever-changing landscape. The following APA citation style is a recommendation based solely on APA Style's Blog, How to cite ChatGPT. The APA style recommended for Gen AI content is very similar to Mobile app reference work and Entry in a mobile app reference work, except that the "Publisher" info is the same as the Author, so it is not repeated. Instead, following the Title, along with the version and model, is the URL to the tool.
The recommended format for in-text citations and references was adapted from Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual which is on the reference template for software (American Psychological Association, 2020).
Anatomy of a GenAI Citation
Formats & Examples
Parenthetical
If you are adding the full-text of GenAI content in appendix, for the first in-text citation, if it is parenthetical, use the following format:
Narrative In-text
If you are adding the full-text of GenAI content in appendix, for the first in-text citation, if it is narrative, use the following format:
Additional Notes:
When citing GenAI content in your assignment:
- Specify the GenAI Tool (ie. ChatGPT)
- State the Prompt. The Prompt is your input text (query) for the GenAI tool to elicit a response.
- Describe how the GenAI content was used in your assignment
Note about citing GenAI content in APA Style
Although APA acknowledges that the content generated by GenAI tools such as ChatGPT resembles personal communication styles (ie. they produce original content that tend to be irreproducible and irretrievable), because it is not a human communicating, APA cites GenAI as an algorithmic output instead. As such, APA style credits the work to the "author of the algorithm" or the tool developer, rather than the tool.
Other Helpful Resources:
Seneca College provides excellent APA recommendations and examples on Citing AI-generated Content in Assignments for GenAI content and how to cite using APA format for both Text generated by an AI tool and Image generated by an AI tool.