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APA Citationold: 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 reference list. We also recommend adding an acknowledgement. 

 

Check the APA style guide for more information on citing Artificial intelligence

 

Citing an AI chat: Example:

From APA:

Cite the AI tool in the text where appropriate. You may make a general statement in the text in which you provide details about the prompt(s) you used to generate the output. For example: 

“I used ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025) to generate a list of grammatical concepts that high school students should know when they graduate.”

You could then elaborate on what the AI generated in the text, and the reference list would include a reference for the chat.

 

Reference list entry: 

OpenAI. (2025, August 21). High school grammar concepts overview [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/68a77b60-0ee4-800c-9acc-cd3fd573c311

Google. (2025, May 22). High school grammar concepts overview [Generative AI chat]. Gemini. https://g.co/gemini/share/a1306ce12929

In-text citation:

According to a ChatGPT-generated response, one of the main concepts ..... (OpenAI, 2025).

According to a Gemini-generated response by Google (2025), one of the main concepts .....

 

Citing an AI tool generally:  Example: 

From APA:

It is also possible to cite an AI tool generally and not a specific chat. Cite an AI tool generally when it would be unhelpful, unethical, or otherwise inappropriate to cite a specific chat—as well as when you want to point to the existence of the AI tool but not necessarily cite specific information from it.

 

 

Reference list entry: 

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com

In-text citation:

I used ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025) to provide feedback on clarity and flow.

 

If you use other Generative AI tools, follow the same citation structure. For example, if you use Microsoft Copilot instead of ChatGPT, the above citation would look like this: 

Microsoft. (2025). Copilot [Large language model]. https://copilot.microsoft.com/
Documenting an AI prompt: Example:

From APA: 

Providing information about prompts increases transparency and helps readers better understand how you used the AI tool,

Prompts can be described in the text, but they are not included in the reference. They can be included where the AI use is disclosed, or in an appendix or supplemental material. Always check with your instructor for their preferences.

 

I provided the following prompt to ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025): "Summarize the plot of A Christmas Carol in the style of H. P. Lovecraft". I then refined the search by asking ChatGPT to rewrite the summary for a grade 5 elementary student audience (see Appendix A for the full transcript).