Skip to Main Content

Citation Guides

Assistance with citing your sources for a research paper.

Risks with using information from generative AI tools

AI models sometimes produce incorrect, biased or outdated information. 

Verify the accuracy of AI-generated content using reliable sources before including it in your work.

Additionally, there may be legal or ethical issues to consider when using AI.  If you intend to publish work incorporating AI-generated content, check the publisher guidelines about what is allowed.

When interacting with AI models, you should be cautious about supplying sensitive information, including personal, confidential or propriety information or data.

Acknowledge your use of ChatGPT or other generative AI

If you use generative AI to help you generate ideas or plan your process, you should still acknowledge how you used the tool, even if you don’t include any AI-generated content in the assignment.

You should include the following information when referencing generative AI content:

  • generative AI system (e.g. Copilot, Chat-GPT, Claude, Google AI etc.)
  • company (e.g. OpenAI URL of the AI system)
  • the web address of the system
  • a brief description of how you used the tool (e.g. edited/corrected/translated/planned/brainstormed)
  • date. 

This work was corrected using Copilot (Microsoft, https://copilot.microsoft.com/) on 30 July 2024.
 

Tip: Save a copy of the transcript of your questions and responses from the generative AI tool. 

  • Take a screenshot
  • Right click and select Save as to save the webpage file.

Source: Acknowledging the use of AI and referencing AI 2023 by University College London

Citing generative AI

Where an assignment requires the use of generative AI tools to be cited, you must reference all the content from Generative AI tools that you include. Failure to reference externally sourced, non-original work can result in Academic misconduct.

References should provide clear and accurate information for each source and should identify where they have been used in your work.

Content from generative AI is a nonrecoverable source as it can't be retrieved or linked.

Citing generative AI content for specific referencing styles

Check the referencing style used in your course for specific guidelines for how to cite generative AI content.

If there are no specific guidelines, we recommend that you base it on the reference style for personal communication or correspondence.

APA 7th

Based on APA Style guidance.

In-text

Author of generative AI model, Year of version used

Example:

(OpenAI, 2022)

OpenAI (2022)

Reference list

Author of AI model used. (Year of AI model used). Name of AI model used (Version of AI model used) [Type or description of AI model used]. Web address of AI model used

Example:

OpenAI. (2022). ChatGPT (Dec 20 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/

The full transcript of a response can be included in an appendix or other supplementary materials.

Visit How to cite ChatGPT for more information.

Chicago 17th

The Chicago Manual of Style Online provides guidance on citing and documenting sources derived from generative artificial intelligence.

In-text

When using an author-date style, you should include the author of the generative AI model and date in parentheses unless it is mentioned in-text e.g. (Microsoft Copilot, 30 July 2024).

Note

Author, response to [prompt], Publisher, Day Month Year.

1. ChatGPT, response to "Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,” OpenAI, 7 February 2023.

2. Text generated from ChatGPT, OpenAI, 7 February 2023.

If you have included your prompt in-text there is no need to repeat it in the note.

MLA

Guidance based on How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? from the official style website.

In-text citation

(Short form Title of source) 

(“Describe the symbolism”) 

Work cited

“Title of source” prompt. Name of AI Tool, version, Company, Date content was generated, General web address of tool. 

“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat. 

Vancouver

The text of your document must include:

  • Type of communication
  • Communicator
  • Date in this format (Day Month Year)

In an online chat with OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language model (7 February 2023) ...