ChatGPT & Other AI Generative Tools
The APA Style team is developing official guidelines on how to cite, quote, and use large language models and other generative AI tools like ChatGPT. This technology is new and we are all learning about generative AI resources and how to ethically use them. Listed here is interim guidance and examples as of February 2024. Definitive and detailed guidelines on this topic can be found on the APA Style Blog.
Example:
In-text citation:
When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).
Reference:
General format:
Author of the AI tool/model. (year, if given). Title of the AI tool/model [Provide a descriptor of the tool]. URL for the source
Example:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT 3.5. (May 12 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
References direct readers to the specific sources that a writer used. Since the text some AI tools generate is not retrievable, consider including the text as an appendix. If you do so, then readers may be referred to the appendix when the AI text is cited. It would be good practice to describe, in the method section or introduction, how you used the AI tool and the prompt that generated the specific AI response.
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