Common software and mobile apps mentioned in text, but not paraphrased or quoted, do not need citations, nor do programming languages. “Common” is relative to your field and audience—examples of software or apps that do not require citations include Microsoft Office (e.g.. Word, Excel, PowerPoint), social media apps (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, 'Twitter), survey software (e.g., Qualtrics, Survey Monkey), Adobe products (e.g., Adobe Reader, Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat), Java, and statistical programs (e.g., R, SPSS, SAS). If you used common software or mobile apps during your research, simply give the proper name of the software or app along the with version number in the text, if relevant.
Include reference list entries and in-text citations if you have paraphrased or quoted from any software or app. Also provide reference list entries and in-text citations when mentioning software, apps, and apparatuses or equipment of limited distribution-meaning your audience is unlikely to be familiar with them. The date of a computer software or mobile app reference is the year of publication of the version used. The titles of software and apps should be italicized in the reference list entry but not italicized in the text.
| Author | Date | Title | Publisher | URL |
|
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. Name of Group. |
(2020) |
Title of work (Version 1.2) [Computer software]. Title of work (Version 4.6) [Mobile app]. Name of apparatus (Model number) [Apparatus]. Name of equipment (Model number) [Equipment]. |
Publisher. App Store. Google Play Store. |
https://xxxxxx |
When you cite AI-generated content using APA style, you should treat that content as the output of an algorithm, with the author of the content being the company or organization that created the model. For example, when citing ChatGPT, the author would be OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT.
Here are some guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in APA style:
When referencing shorter passages of text, you can include that text directly in your paper. You might also include an appendix or link to an online supplement that includes the full text of long responses from a generative AI tool.
Format:
Author. (Date). Name of tool (Version of tool) [Large language model]. URL
In-text
When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).
Reference
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Use the template shown next to construct references for entries in mobile app reference works. The format for an entry in a mobile app reference work is similar to that for a chapter in an edited book. The most common case, in which the same author is responsible for the whole work and all entries, is shown here.
| Author | Date | Entry title | Mobile App Information | URL |
|
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. Name of Group. |
(2020). | Title of entry. | In Title of work (Version 1.2) [Mobile app]. Publisher Name or App Store. | https://xxxxxx |