How to Cite ChatGPT and AI Tools in APA, MLA, and Chicago
If you used ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude in your work, most style guides now have an official way to cite it. Here's the exact format in APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago — plus the one thing to understand before you cite an AI at all.
First: what you're actually citing
When you cite ChatGPT, you are not citing a source of facts. You're documenting a tool you used to generate text — the same way you'd note software you ran. That distinction drives every rule below, and it's why AI output should never be your evidence for a claim. More on that at the end.
APA 7: cite the model like software
APA treats a large language model as software and credits the organization that made it (OpenAI), not "ChatGPT."
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Aug 8 version) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
- In text (paraphrase):
(OpenAI, 2024) - First mention in prose:
When prompted, ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2024) responded that…
APA doesn't require the prompt inside the reference, but it does recommend giving the prompt and describing the response in your text — or placing longer exchanges in an appendix — so a reader could reproduce it. For another model, swap in the maker: Google. (2024). Gemini… or Anthropic. (2024). Claude…
MLA 9: the prompt is the title
MLA builds the citation around your prompt, quoted as the title of the "source," and lists ChatGPT as the container.
"Explain spaced repetition in two sentences" prompt. ChatGPT, 8 Aug. version, OpenAI, 8 Aug. 2024, chatgpt.com.
In text, use a shortened form of the prompt in quotation marks: ("Explain spaced repetition"). MLA also advises you to name the AI tool in your prose and note how you used it.
Chicago: cite it in a note
Chicago (17th edition) treats AI-generated text as a kind of personal communication: cite it in a footnote or endnote, and in most cases you don't need a bibliography entry. Name the tool, your prompt, the company, and the date.
1. ChatGPT, response to "Explain spaced repetition in two sentences," OpenAI, August 8, 2024.
Chicago also asks you to make the AI use clear in the text itself — for example, "the following summary was generated by ChatGPT."
For books, journal articles, and websites, our free citation generator formats APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and IEEE for you — no manual punctuation-wrangling.
The catch: don't cite AI as evidence
Formatting an AI citation correctly is the easy part. The mistake that actually costs students marks is treating ChatGPT as a source of facts or references. Language models generate text that looks right; they routinely produce citations for papers that don't exist — real-sounding authors, titles, and DOIs, all invented.
So the rule is simple: cite ChatGPT only to disclose that you used it, never as the authority behind a claim. Every fact and every reference the AI gives you has to be checked against a real source before it goes in your work. (And if you're wondering whether graders can tell you used AI, see does Turnitin detect ChatGPT.)
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Try CiteGood free →Frequently asked questions
How do you cite ChatGPT in APA 7?
Treat it as software. Reference: OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (version) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com. In text: (OpenAI, 2024). APA credits the maker of the model (OpenAI), not "ChatGPT," as the author.
How do you cite ChatGPT in MLA 9?
MLA cites the prompt as the title. Format: "Prompt text" prompt. ChatGPT, version, OpenAI, Day Month Year, chatgpt.com. In text, use a shortened prompt in quotation marks.
How do you cite ChatGPT in Chicago style?
Chicago usually cites AI in a note (footnote/endnote), and often no bibliography entry is needed. Note: ChatGPT, response to "your prompt," OpenAI, Day Month Year. Mention in the text that the content was AI-generated.
Should you include the prompt when citing AI?
MLA and Chicago build the citation around your prompt, so include it. APA doesn't require the prompt in the reference, but recommends describing or including the prompt in your text (or an appendix) so the response is reproducible.
Is it okay to cite ChatGPT as a source for facts?
No. ChatGPT is not a reliable source for facts or references — it generates plausible text, not verified information, and frequently invents citations. Cite it only to document that you used it, and verify every factual claim against a real source.