How to Cite ChatGPT and AI Tools in APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard

Check Your Policy First

Before thinking about format, check whether you are allowed to use AI at all. Policies vary by university, course and even assignment. Some instructors ban AI tools entirely, some allow them for brainstorming or editing only, and some permit them with disclosure. A correctly formatted citation does not make unauthorised use acceptable.

Why AI Citations Are Different

Generative AI output is unusual as a source:

• It is not recoverable. The same prompt can produce a different answer next time, so readers cannot check your exact source.
• It has no human author. The style guides agree that an AI tool should not be listed as an author in the human sense.
• It is not a scholarly source. AI tools can produce plausible but false statements and invented references, so they should not be used as evidence for factual claims.

Because of this, each style guide has published its own approach, and they differ more than usual. The formats below follow the guidance published by APA Style, the MLA Style Center and The Chicago Manual of Style. These guides continue to update their advice, so check the latest version if your assignment depends on it.

Citing ChatGPT in APA 7

APA treats the company that created the tool as the author and the tool as software.

Reference format

Author (company). (Year of version). Name of model (Version) [Large language model]. URL

Example (from APA Style's guidance)

In-text citation

Parenthetical: (OpenAI, 2023). Narrative: OpenAI (2023).

Describing the prompt

APA recommends explaining in your text how you used the tool and including the prompt. For example:

For long exchanges, APA suggests putting the full prompt and response text in an appendix or supplementary material.

Citing ChatGPT in MLA 9

MLA does not treat the AI tool as an author. Instead, the "Title of Source" element describes what was generated, usually by quoting your prompt.

Works Cited format

"Description or text of prompt" prompt. Name of AI Tool, version, Company, Date generated, URL.

Example (from the MLA Style Center's guidance)

In-text citation

Use a shortened version of the prompt: ("Describe the symbolism").

MLA also advises citing the AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote or incorporate its content, acknowledging functional uses (such as editing or translating) in a note or your text, and checking any secondary sources the tool mentions.

Citing ChatGPT in Chicago Style

Chicago recommends citing AI-generated text in a note, and generally not including it in the bibliography, because the conversation cannot be retrieved by readers.

Note format when the prompt is in your text

Note format when the prompt is not in your text

In author-date style, mention the tool in the text instead ("text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023") or use a parenthetical citation such as (OpenAI 2023), following your instructor's preference.

Citing ChatGPT in Harvard

Harvard has no single official manual, so universities publish their own versions. A common pattern is:

Company (Year) Name of tool (Version) [Large language model]. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

In text: (OpenAI, 2023). Some institutions instead treat AI conversations as personal communications, cited in text only. Always use your university's Harvard guide.

IEEE and other styles

IEEE, Vancouver and AMA have less settled guidance on AI tools. A common approach is to treat the tool as software, with the company, tool name, version, date and URL, or to acknowledge AI use in the acknowledgements or methods section, which many journals now require. Follow your journal's author instructions where they exist.

Quick Comparison

Other AI Tools: Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Image Generators

The same patterns apply to other generative AI tools. Replace the company, tool name, version and URL:

• Use the company that publishes the tool as the author in APA and Harvard.
• Use the model or version name shown in the tool, if available.
• For image generators, describe the image in the title element (MLA) or in your text, and label AI-generated images clearly in figure captions.

Which Uses Need a Citation?

Formatting an AI Appendix

When an assignment involves extended AI interaction, many instructors want the full exchange. A clear appendix includes:

1. A heading, such as "Appendix A: ChatGPT Conversation Transcript"
2. The tool, version and date of the conversation
3. Each prompt you entered, labelled "Prompt"
4. Each response, labelled "Response", copied without editing
5. A brief note on how you used the output in your paper

Refer to it in your text, for example "(see Appendix A for the full transcript)". Many AI tools also offer a shareable link to a conversation; include it if your instructor wants one, but do not rely on it alone, since links can expire.

Disclosure Statements

Many instructors and journals now ask for a disclosure statement describing how AI was used, even when nothing is quoted. A simple statement might read:

Place it where your instructor asks, often after the conclusion, in a footnote or in a methods section.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Citing AI as evidence for facts. Find and cite the original, verifiable source instead.
• Citing references the AI suggested without checking them. AI tools can invent realistic-looking citations. Confirm every source exists, ideally by locating its DOI.
• Listing ChatGPT as a human author (for example "ChatGPT, 2023" with the tool as author in APA).
• Leaving out the version or date, which the styles use to identify the output.
• Failing to keep your prompts and outputs. Save them in case you are asked how you used AI.
• Assuming a citation makes any use acceptable. Follow your course policy first.

To check that a source an AI tool suggested is real, our DOI guide shows how to look it up, and our guide to avoiding plagiarism covers paraphrasing and attribution more broadly.