*Generative AI may not be permitted in every course or assignment. If your instructor provides instructions that differ from the information we've provided, always follow your instructor's directions.*
The APA Style blog offers considerations about how AI-generated text is used and tracked in academic writing and provides guidance on how to cite ChatGPT when you write. The article is essential reading for students. Refer to the blog post below.
If you use an AI tool, the APA recommends that you describe how you used it. For research, include it in the Methods (or comparable) section. For literature reviews or other essays or papers, include it in the Introduction or other appropriate location. Include the prompt you crafted and the corresponding response generated by the tool.
Format:
AI tool publisher. Year of the AI tool version used. AI Tool (Version) [AI format]. Tool URL
Examples:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Nov 6 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Google. (2023). Copilot [Large language model]. https://copilot.microsoft.com/
Parenthetical Citation:
(AI tool publisher, Year of the AI tool version used).
Example:
(OpenAI, 2023).
Narrative Citation:
... AI tool publisher (Year of the AI tool version used) ...
Example:
... OpenAI (2023) ...
The APA Style Team suggests that "you may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated." See example for paraphrased content below.
In-text Citation Example, Direct Quotation:
When prompted with the question "How does hypnosis affect smoking cessation?", the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that "hypnosis should be considered as part of a comprehensive smoking cessation program that may include other strategies, such as behavioral counseling, support groups, and nicotine replacement therapy" (OpenAI, 2023).
In-text Citation Example, Paraphrased:
When prompted with the question "How does hypnosis affect smoking cessation?", ChatGPT-generated text indicated that the some of the ways hypnosis can reduce cravings, alter thought patterns and habits,and boost self-control (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).
The norms for citing AI and the way AI is presenting cited resources is evolving and potentially confusing. We can expect this to be the case going forward, so it is important to adhere to academic integrity and apply due diligence when using AI tools in your research.
Fake and Fabricated References
You may ask AI to write something about a topic. The AI tool will cite what it has generated with fake citations. These are usually comprised of components of various real citations. These citations do not exist as entities; they were simply amalgamated from a variety of other citations.
In another situation, your assignment directs you to find five scholarly sources on a topic. Prompting an AI tool to generate a list of citations on a topic does not meet the assignment requirements because the tool can potentially fabricate citations out of existing pieces of different articles out on the web. It may include a legitimate author or title as well as the other components of a reference, but often these components do not match up to actual real published articles.
In some cases, AI tools even generate fake DOI numbers.
Verify Sources
Use the library databases or search engine, OneSearch, to locate and access articles. If you cannot locate a reference that you got from an AI tool, please contact library staff so we can assist you in either locating it or confirming that it is a legitimate citation. When in doubt, be sure to ask!
You are responsible for verifying that any citations you use in your work are legitimate. In addition, it is not even appropriate to list the reference in your paper or assignment if you have not read it yourself and determined that it is relevant to your topic.
Remember why we cite:
Academic Integrity
Refer to the university plagiarism policy for more information: