Citing AI
IMPORTANT TO KNOW :
- Always confirm with your professor whether AI tools like ChatGPT are allowed for each assignment. Be sure to read the Syllabi.
- Always verify information and sources generated by AI tools
- AI has been known to generate false information and to cite non-existent sources
- AI-generated text mines people's intellectual property without crediting them, which raises ethical concerns.
- AI can produce biased and prejudiced data...so content from AI needs to be evaluated.
- AI cannot generally be considered an author, but if it has been used in any way, it has to be cited in the text and references or acknowledgement.
- Some of this guidance may be updated as recommendations evolve.
Considerations For Citing AI
AI needs to be cited when:
- Gathering information
- Writing text
- Editing text
- Synthesizing ideas or finding connections
- Cleaning/ manipulating data
Citation Styles for AI generated work
- Generative AI MLA StyleAccording to MLA, since December 2024, MLA does not recommend treating an AI tool as an author, and instead using the Title of Container element to specify the AI tool and the Publisher element to specify the company that made the tool.
- Generative AI APA StyleAs of December 2024, APA style recommends citing the AI tool company as the author and AI tool as the title, with in-text citations and references adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10).
- Generative AI Chicago StyleAs of December 2024, Chicago style does cite AI tool as author, with the following example: "ChatGPT is the author of the content, and the date is the date the text was generated. OpenAI (the organization that developed ChatGPT) is then listed as the publisher or sponsor of the content."
Visual Representation of Generative AI MLA Citation
Source: https://www.choice360.org/libtech-insight/how-should-you-cite-generative-ai-and-chatgpt/
Visual Representation of Generative AI APA Citation
Source: https://subjectguides.uwaterloo.ca/chatgpt_generative_ai/aigeneratedcontentcitation