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MLA Citation: Artificial Intelligence: ChatGPT etc.

Artificial Intelligence: ChatGPT, Jasper Chat, Bard AI, DALL-E, etc.

  • Before using ChatGPT or other generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, make sure to check with your instructor if you can do so, and if so what exactly is permitted for a specific assignment

  • If you are permitted to use ChatGPT or similar AI, evaluate the content carefully and critically. Content produced may contain incorrect or biased and therefore unreliable information. These tools may also infringe on your privacy (e.g. collecting data about you and sharing it), so use them with caution. Consider using more authoritative, reliable, secure sources instead
  • If you are permitted to use AI-generated content, make sure to cite the information you use in the text and in the works cited list 
  • For more explanations and various examples from the MLA Style Centre go here: style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai

 

Follow the MLA template:  Examples:
Author

MLA does 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

The name of the AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT).

Version

Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible, for example ChatGPT 3.5.

Publisher

Name the company that made the tool, e.g. OpenAI

Date

Give the date the content was generated.

Location

Give the general URL for the tool.

 

We also recommend that you include the following:
  • Written acknowledgment of the generative AI tool used and for what purpose
  • The prompt(s) used to generate the content 
  • A note about your modifications
  • Include the original output with your submission

Check our Artificial Intelligence Libguide for acknowledgement examples

Example of a chat with ChatGPT

 

Works Cited entry:

"What is important for effective intercultural communication in an organization" prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.  

In-text citation:

Two important skills for positive intercultural communication are practicing cultural awareness and sensitivity and active listening ("What is effective").

 

  • If you are using an AI-generated image in your coursework (essays, reports, PowerPoint, etc.), use the citation format for a figure: Use a description of the prompt, followed by the AI tool, version, and date created:

 

For an AI-generated image you use in your coursework, use this format in the text: 

 Works Cited list entry: 

 

 

  • If the caption of a table or illustration provides complete information about the source and the source is not cited in the text, no entry is needed for the source in the works-cited list.
  • Otherwise, use commas to separate elements in a caption and provide full publication details in the works-cited list; the entry follows the format for a full citation 

 


 

 

Fig. 1: "A naturalistic image of a bear in a meadow with wildflowers on a sunny day and snow-capped mountains and forests in the background" prompt, DALL-E, version 2, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, labs.openai.com/.