Guidelines for Citing AI Platforms such as ChatGPT

Since the time of its release in the fall of 2022, ChatGPT and AI in general have become common tools for students. In some of your courses, there will be instances where using AI is allowed and helpful. In other courses, you may be asked not to use AI to help you with tasks such as phrasing, idea development, research, and writing because you will be relying on something else (other than you) to do your work. You should thus be sure to check the syllabus for each of your courses, noting instructor policies to see if and how AI is allowed on your assignments.

In those instances when your instructor has given you the okay to use AI, you don’t need to cite it if you use it as a conduit, that is, as a tool that leads you to an original source the way a Google search or Wikipedia does. You will then need to cite just the original source, such as an article or webpage, that you have been led to. If the AI does not lead you to an original source, however, you should cite the AI. Bear in mind, however, that a citation alone is often insufficient. AI platforms can generate false information and false citations, and you may well perform poorly on an assignment, even if you cite the AI material, because it is falsified.

Below are general models of how to cite AI, followed by specific citations of ChatGPT in MLA and APA styles. For Chicago style, see the link provided.

MLA Style

Format:  "Text of chat prompt" prompt. Name of AI tool, Version of AI tool, Company, Date of chat, URL.

Example: “Describe the theme of nature in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park” prompt. ChatGPT, Model GPT-4o, OpenAI, 23 Sept. 2024, <https://chatgpt.com/share/66f1b0a0-d704-8000-be9a-85f53c850607>.

Some of the details in the model may be confusing; for a full explanation, see the MLA webpage on citing chatbots.

APA Style

Format: Company. (Year, Month, and Day). Title of Chat in Italics. [Description, such as Generative AI Chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the Chat.

Example: Anthropic. (2025, May 20). Essential grammar topics for high school graduates [Generative AI chat]. Claude Sonnet 4.  <https://claude.ai/share/329173b2-ec93-4663-ac68-4f65ea4f166d>

For a full explanation, see the APA webpage on citing chatbots.

Chicago Style

See the Chicago Manual of Style website for guidelines on citing chatbots.

For further thoughts on the use of chatbots in student work, see this helpful site assembled by an ethics team of students at Santa Clara University.