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Until the spring of 2023, there were no guidelines on how to cite material created by generative AI technologies like ChatGPT. Now, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Modern Language Association (MLA) have published guidelines that direct users about how to incorporate AI based material into their scholarly work.
Many important questions remain for researchers and students using ChatGPT. Ethics, plagiarism, copyright, and technical issues are all considerations that are being actively debated, so expect many developments to unfold as we all learn about how to incorporate these technologies into our research lives.
The APA has release introductory guidelines about how to cite, summarize, and paraphrase ChatGPT. Their guidance can be found on their website at https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt.
The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:
Reference Entry:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Parenthetical citation:
(OpenAI, 2023)
Narrative citation:
OpenAI (2023)
The MLA has released introductory guidelines about how to use a variety of generative AI tools, including ChatGPT and image generators. These guidelines can be found at https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/.
Paraphrased in Your Prose:
While the green light in The Great Gatsby might be said to chiefly symbolize four main things: optimism, the unattainability of the American dream, greed, and covetousness (“Describe the symbolism”), arguably the most important—the one that ties all four themes together—is greed.
Works-Cited-List Entry:
“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.
Quoted in Your Prose:
When asked to describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby, ChatGPT provided a summary about optimism, the unattainability of the American dream, greed, and covetousness. However, when further prompted to cite the source on which that summary was based, it noted that it lacked “the ability to conduct research or cite sources independently” but that it could “provide a list of scholarly sources related to the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby” (“In 200 words”).
Works-Cited-List Entry:
“In 200 words, describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby” follow-up prompt to list sources. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 9 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.
A simple way of understanding when you should cite anything in your work: If you didn't write it, you need to cite it.
But, ChatGPT and its role in research is anything but simple. Researchers incorporate ChatGPT into their work in a variety of ways, ranging from adopting it as a study buddy or editor to having it create outlines or topic ideas. Because of this, having an open and transparent relationship with ChatGPT is important.
Talking with instructors, carefully reading course and assignment policies, and collaborating with the team of academic support professionals available at National University are all important ways of navigating AI and research.
As a National University member, you have access to the academic coaches at the Academic Success Center. They are your go-to source for writing assistance.
Library consultations with a librarian are another opportunity to talk to an information professional one-on-one. These are primarily for research help.
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