Be sure to verify information provided by generative AI tools. Checking for reputable sources that confirm generative AI tools' outputs will make it less likely you end up using false or misleading information. It would also be a good idea to cite these sources in your work, in addition to attributing your use of generative AI. That way, you can give credit to authors and institutions instead of just AI tools, which are trained on human-generated information in the first place.
For more information about generative AI tools and the accuracy of the information they provide, see this article from MIT Sloan: When AI Gets It Wrong: Addressing AI Hallucinations and Bias
GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) models that are trained on large amounts of text data to learn language patterns, facts, and various types of knowledge. These tools are designed to "generate" content or output; they are not research databases.
ChatGPT (OpenAI) OpenAI's disclaimer: "ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info."
Claude (Anthrop/c) Anthropic's disclaimers: "Claude may occasionally generate incorrect or misleading information, or produce offensive or biased content. Claude is not intended to give advice, including legal, financial, & medical advice. Don’t rely on our conversation alone without doing your own independent research."
Copilot (Microsoft) Microsoft's Disclaimer: "Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes."
DeepSeek "I cannot guarantee the absolute correctness or completeness of the information provided. Use of my responses is at your own risk. For important decisions, consult a professional or conduct your own research."
Gemini (Google) Gemini's Disclaimer "Gemini can make mistakes, so double-check your results".
See the Helpful Videos tab for a few videos on how to cite and AI tools.
ChatGPT
| Reference List Format |
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat |
| In-text citations |
Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023) Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023) |
APA recommends that you describe how you used ChatGPT or other AI tools in the Method/Methodology section of your research paper. In your Methods/Methodology section, describe how you used the tool in your research.
For other papers, like literature reviews or essays, you can use the introduction of your paper to describe how you used ChatGPT or AI in your research.
In the body of your paper, you should provide the prompt you used and any other relevant portions of text that were generated as a response to your prompt.
Since readers of your paper/research cannot recreate or retrieve your chats with ChatGPT or other AI tools, you should describe your prompt and interaction with the AI tool. An example of this, provided by Timothy McAdoo (2023) from APA Style, can be found below:
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).
It is also suggested that you could add the full text of your session with ChatGPT to the appendix of your paper. This will allow the reader to refer back to the exact text generated from your prompts. If you add materials to an appendix of your APA, materials should be referred to at least once in the body of your paper.
How to create an Appendix in APA:
https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/appendices
McAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). How to cite ChatGPT. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt
Released April 7, 2023
When you cite AI-generated content using APA style, you should treat that content as the output of an algorithm, with the author of the content being the company or organization that created the model. For example, when citing ChatGPT, the author would be OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT.
Here are some guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in APA style:
When referencing shorter passages of text, you can include that text directly in your paper. You might also include an appendix or link to an online supplement that includes the full text of long responses from a generative AI tool.
Format:
Author. (Date). Name of tool (Version of tool) [Large language model]. URL
Example:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
In-Text Citation Example:
(OpenAI, 2023)