AI & GPT: Sources, Citing, and References

In general, you should always be transparent about your use of AI tools. Since AI tools cannot be considered an author (established by Thaler v. Perlmutter, 2023), they should not be considered a source. Instead, they are generally considered a collaborator.

Cite AI tools when they are used to:

• Gather information
• Write text or generate media
• Edit text
• Synthesize ideas or find connections
• "Clean" or manipulate data

What elements do I need for a citation?

• Tool name and version (e.g., ChatGPT4, Grammarly, Gemini, etc.)
• Time and date of usage
• Prompt or query
• Response
• Follow up queries and responses
• Name of the person who wrote the queries

Example of providing attribution for an AI-generated image:

Caption: Image of a goat writing an essay, generated by Copilot on June 4, 2025. Query by Elizabeth Hambleton.

Citing Generative AI Models (ASU)

Provides both general and detailed guidance for several citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago) as well as guidance on permanent links to generative AI results.

AI, ChatGPT and the Library (SLCC)

How do you know where GPT information comes from? Can you trust their references? How do you cite (attribute, document) results from your interactions with ChatGPT or other generative AI programs? 

Highlights: 

• Citing AI-Generated Content
• Stay Critical: Contextualize, Verify, and Check

See Also:

• Citation Style Guide for AI: From Dalhousie University Libraries
• How to Cite ChatGPT: Guidance from Sally Neal, Librarian, Butler University
• Citing AI-Enabled Tools from Babson College
• Citing AI Tools from MIT

Video by Jane Stimpson of the Massachusetts Library Association. Recorded October 2023.