Library Guides: Generative Artificial Intelligence : Citing Gen AI

Information You Need for Citing Gen AI Using APA

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

Accessible Version of the Anatomy of a GenAI Citation (Opens PDF, 39KB)

Disclosing the Use of Generative AI

After first checking with your professor to ensure that you are allowed to use generative AI, it is important to not only cite the information you are using from the generative AI tool but to also note the way in which you have used the generative AI tool (e.g., to summarize, format, brainstorm topics, etc.).

Include an in-text citation and a reference in your References List
Note the tool used, purpose and prompt. Example: "The Perplexity generative AI tool was used to provide ideas for the structure of this paper using the prompt: "Provide an outline for a second year college-level essay on the benefits of lily pads to frogs.""
Include the prompt/description in the Methods section, Introduction or body of your paper. (Ask your professor which is preferred!)
Add an an Appendix with the output/text from the generative AI or include it in Supplemental Materials. Be sure to call out the Appendix in the body of your paper at least once! See the box below for guidance on how to obtain the output/text from the generative AI tool.
Include the date of access
Include how you used the model – e.g., to generate search terms, to brainstorm topics, etc.
The Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Framework is a helpful tool to disclose your use of generative AI in research.
When in doubt, ask your professor!

Always ask your professor if you are allowed to use generative AI in your research before using any tool! If you are allowed to use genAI in your research, the Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework (2024) is one tool you can use to declare usage. This framework was developed by Kari D. Weaver, Learning, Teaching, and Instructional Design Librarian, to enhance transparency and consistency in attribution practices for generative artificial intelligence.

The Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework provides a means for you to disclose your use of AI in your research.

Add the AID statement at the end of your paper
In the statement, include the tool used and a description of how it was used. The Framework provides a list of potential uses of AI tools for you to choose from. These are called “headings”.
Use this format for the AID statement: AID Statement: Artificial Intelligence Tool: [description of tools used]; [Heading- how you used the AI tool]: [description of AI use in that stage of the work]; Note that a colon appears after each section heading and each heading: statement pair is separated by a semi-colon. The statement ends in a period.
Example of an AID statement: AID Statement: Artificial Intelligence Tool: Microsoft Copilot (Mohawk College institutional instance); Data Analysis: Microsoft Copilot was used to analyze the focus group data I collected for this research paper; Interpretation: Microsoft Copilot was used to summarize and categorize the themes in the focus group data and suggest conclusions.
See a list of the potential headings (e.g., interpretation, data analysis, etc.) at this University of Waterloo webpage. Use only the headings that are relevant.

This content is an adaptation of the Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework (2024) by Dr. Kari D. Weaver, University of Waterloo Libraries. It has been produced as allowed under its assigned CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.

Always ask your professor if you are allowed to use generative AI in your research before using any tool! If you are allowed to use generative AI for your research, one option to declare your use is the GAIDet tool.

GAIDeT stands for Generative Artificial Intelligence Delegation Taxonomy. This framework is used to specifically declare the use of generative AI in the process of research. It was developed by professors at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University in The Netherlands. The tool allows you to declare the particular details of the tool used and how it was used, allowing researchers to be clear and transparent about use of generative AI. The GAIDet Declaration Generator allows you to enter your information about use of genAI and a declaration is generated for you so that you can copy and paste it into your manuscript.

How to Copy Text from a Generative AI Tool

It is recommended to include the output from the generative AI that you use in your paper as an Appendix or under a section called "Supplemental Materials." Because output from generative AI tools is not static, this provides a way for your professor to see the output you used. Include the tool and date along with the text/output. An example might be to include a heading such as: Transcript from [insert tool name, e.g., Chat GPT], on [insert date], using prompt: [insert prompt used]. Then, copy the text into the Appendix.

There are a couple ways to copy text from a generative AI tool

Save or download
Copy and paste to a Text or Word file
Export as a Word, PDF or Text file
Take a screenshot

Create a sharable link:

Chat GPT
How to create a shared link using ChatGPT
Google Gemini
How to create a public page and link to share
AI Archives
Save discussions with ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta, and Claude in a URL.
Microsoft - shareable link
Copy and paste AI-generated content into a document, then create a shareable link to the file
Google - shareable link
Copy and paste AI-generated content into a document, then create a shareable link to the file.

(Adapted from: How Do I Cite Generative AI?, McMaster University Library)

Author. (Version Year). Title (Version number) [Type of AI Model]. URL for the GenAI tool

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 23 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com

Parenthetical

(Author/developer, Year)

(OpenAI, 2023)

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:

(Author/developer, Year; see Appendix for the full transcript)

(OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript)

Narrative In-text

Author/developer (Year)

OpenAI (2023)

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:

Author/developer (Year; see Appendix for the full transcript)

OpenAI (2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript)

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

Citing Gen AI using MLA

How to Cite Gen AI in MLA style
Detailed information from MLA's style centre on how to cite Gen AI.
Citing AI-generated Content in Assignments
From Seneca Library's MLA Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition), this link provides information on how to cite AI-generated content using MLA, specifically text and image-generated content

Format

"Text of prompt" prompt. Name of AI Tool, version number if known, Name of company that made the tool, Day Month Year content was generated, General URL of Tool.

Example

"What is the treatment for scurvy" prompt. ChatGPT, OpenAI, 7 July 2025, www.chatgpt.com

Format

"Shortened text of prompt"

Example

"What is the treatment for scurvy"prompt. ChatGPT, OpenAI, 7 July 2025, www.chatgpt.com

Note about Citing Generative AI 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.

How to Cite ChatGPT

Disclaimer

It's important to note that the information provided here serves as a general guide. Generative AI might not be allowed in your courses or assignments. If your instructor offers specific guidelines that differ from the information presented here, it's crucial to adhere to your instructor's directives.