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

Make sure it is ethical for you to use GenAI output

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

Cite or acknowledge your use properly.

MLA (Modern Language Association) Recommends

• cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it 
• acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location 
• take care to vet the secondary sources it cites

MLA does NOT acknowledge the AI language model generator as the author of the response - example ChatGPT is the model and the publisher of the model is OpenAI

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.

Don’t cite ChatGPT in a bibliography or reference list unless you provide a publicly available link (e.g., via a browser extension like ShareGPT or A.I. Archives).  The URL link supplied by ChatGPT for your session is not accessible to others.

Chicago Notes / Bibliography Note:

notenumber. Text (or image, etc) generated by Name of AI code, Name of Publisher, "Month day, year," of access,, URL.

Chicago B In Text Citation:

(Name of code, "Month day, year" of access)

IEEE (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers) has stated Artificial Intelligence (AI) outputs, including products of chatbots, are not cited for publication purposes. They do not provide guidance for classroom products.