APA Style

An introduction to American Psychological Association style, formatting and citation with tutorials and examples.

Warning

A picture of a "pointer" dog in front of a blackboard indicating that users of AI should ensure that they have talked with their instructors to ensure that AI is allowed in the class.

Citing Generative AI

ChatGPT stands in as “author” of the content, and OpenAI (the company that developed ChatGPT) is the publisher or sponsor, followed by the date the text was generated.

Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications, with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating.

Check out these resources, if you have content that may not fall under an available standard. If creating something for publication, always check to see if the resource's style guide includes how to cite AI. 

3 steps for citing GenAI in your work

question iconMake sure it is ethical for you to use GenAI output

question iconFact-check any content you plan to use to ensure accuracy and reliability.

question iconCite or acknowledge your use properly.

 

Citing AI in APA style

Describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. Chatting with ChatGPT and other tools is like chatting with a person...therefore credit the author of the software algorithm as the author of the cited reference.

Generative AI:

Example of in-text citations and reference:

  • parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
  • Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

 

Author of code (Publication year). Name of Tool. (software version) [type of tool]. URL

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat