Skip to Main Content

Housatonic Campus Library

Housatonic AI in Education

APA

Guideline: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt
 
  • APA format:  OpenAI. (Year). ChatGPT (Month Day version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
  • APA reference entry: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Feb 13 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
  • APA in-text citation: (OpenAI, 2023)

Example 1 from APA Guideline

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

Example 2 from APA Guideline

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Reference

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Four APA Reference Elements (author, date, title and source):

Author  Open AI
Date The date is the year of the version you used. You need to include only the year. 
Title The Title is the name of the model such as "ChatGPT."  The version number is added after the title to indicate which version it is, such as "ChatGPT-3," or "ChatGPT-4" to show the specific iteration of model. 
[Large language Model]  Bracketed text is used in reference for additional descriptions when they needed to help a reader understand what being cited.
Source URL

 

MLA

Guideline: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/   MLA Style Center offer recommendations for citing generative AI.

You should: 

  • cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it.
  • acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location.
  • take care to vet the secondary sources it cites.

MLA Template (author, title of source or title of container, version, publisher, date, location):

 

  • MLA Format: “Text of prompt” prompt. ChatGPT, Day Month version, OpenAI, Day Month Year, chat.openai.com.
  • MLA Works Cited entry: “Explain antibiotics” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 16 Feb. 2023, chat.openai.com.
  • MLA in-text citation: ("Explain antibiotics")
     
Author MLA do not recommend treating the AI tool as an author.
Title of source Describe what was generated by the AI tool. This may involve including information about the prompt in the Title of Source element if you have not done so in the text. 
Title of Container Use the Title of Container element to name the AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT).
Version Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible. For example, the examples in this post were developed using ChatGPT 3.5, which assigns a specific date to the version, so the Version element shows this version date.
Publisher Name the company that made the tool.
Date Give the date the content was generated.
Location URL

Example: 

  • You ask:

"In 100 words, describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby." 

  • ChatGPT answers:

"In The Great Gatsby, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby's yearning for his idealized version of the American Dream, centered on wealth, success, and his love for Daisy. The light represents hope, but also the unattainable, as Gatsby reaches for it across the water, symbolizing the distance between reality and his aspirations. It reflects the broader theme of the American Dream, where pursuit often ends in disillusionment. As the novel progresses, the green light becomes a symbol of lost dreams and the impossibility of recapturing the past, despite Gatsby’s efforts."

  • Quoted in your prose:

"When asked to describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby, ChatGPT provided a summary about optimism, the unattainability of the American dream, greed, and covetousness. However, when further prompted to cite the source on which that summary was based, it noted that it lacked “the ability to conduct research or cite sources independently” but that it could “provide a list of scholarly sources related to the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby” (“In 100 words”).

  • Works-Cited-List Entry:

“In 100 words, describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby." ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 9 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.