To cite ChatGPT, name the company that makes it as the author (APA) or publisher (MLA), give the tool name and version, the date (the version year in APA, the date of your conversation in MLA and Chicago), and the URL, and describe the prompt you entered. APA puts OpenAI in the author position with the description [Large language model]. MLA starts with a description of your prompt in place of a title, since the tool isn't treated as an author. Chicago generally cites AI output in a note rather than the bibliography.
Guidance on citing generative AI is still fairly new and has been updated as these tools change. The formats below follow the general approach APA, MLA and Chicago have published, but always check the current version of the style guide and your instructor's requirements before you submit.
First: should you be citing ChatGPT at all?
Before thinking about format, check two things.
Is AI use allowed for this assignment? Policies vary by school, course and even assignment. Citing a tool doesn't make its use acceptable if your instructor has said not to use it.
Is ChatGPT the right source? Chatbots generate text based on patterns; they don't look facts up in the way a database does, and they can produce errors or references that don't exist. If you're using ChatGPT's answer as evidence for a factual claim, find a reliable published source and cite that instead. Cite ChatGPT when the AI output itself is what you're discussing, quoting or analyzing, or when your instructor asks you to document how you used it.
APA 7th edition
APA's published approach treats the AI developer as the author and the specific tool as the title, followed by a version and a bracketed description.
Company. (Year). Name of tool (Version) [Large language model]. URL
OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (Version used, e.g., a dated release) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
In-text: (OpenAI, 2026) or OpenAI (2026)
If the interface shows a version or model name, put it in parentheses after the title. If it doesn't, check the help or release notes page and use the version name or date you can find; otherwise, follow your instructor's advice.
APA also recommends describing your prompt in the text, since the reader can't retrieve your conversation:
When prompted with "Summarize the main arguments for later high school start times," the ChatGPT-generated text listed adolescent sleep patterns, classroom attention and student driving safety (OpenAI, 2026).
For longer exchanges, APA suggests putting the full prompt and response in an appendix or in online supplemental materials, so readers can see exactly what was generated.
Treat quoted AI output like any quotation: quotation marks for short passages, a block quote for 40 words or more.
MLA 9th edition
MLA's published guidance doesn't treat the AI tool as an author. Instead, the entry starts with a description of what was generated, usually based on your prompt, in quotation marks. The tool name is the container, followed by the version, the company as publisher, the date of your conversation and the URL.
"Description of prompt" prompt. Name of tool, version, Company, Day Month Year, URL.
"Summarize the main arguments for later high school start times" prompt. ChatGPT, version noted in the interface, OpenAI, 9 Oct. 2026, chatgpt.com.
In-text: ("Summarize the main arguments")
The in-text citation uses a short form of the prompt description, matching the first words of the works-cited entry. If you name the tool and prompt in your sentence, you can keep the parenthetical short or skip it.
MLA also advises that you:
- Cite every time you paraphrase, quote or include AI-generated content in your work.
- Acknowledge functional uses of AI, such as editing or translating, in a note or in your text when appropriate.
- Check the sources the AI tool cites, because generated citations can be wrong or fabricated.
A citation generator looks sources up by URL, DOI or ISBN and has no source type for AI tools, so enter the elements of an AI citation (company, tool, version, date, prompt) by hand.
Citation GeneratorAPA, MLA, Chicago and moreChicago style
Chicago's published approach is that AI-generated text is usually cited in a note or acknowledged in the text, but not added to the bibliography, because the conversation can't be retrieved by readers.
- ChatGPT, response to "Summarize the main arguments for later high school start times," OpenAI, October 9, 2026.
If you already state the prompt in your sentence, the note can be shorter:
- Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, October 9, 2026, https://chatgpt.com.
If your instructor requires a bibliography entry or you're using author-date style, ask how they want AI output listed; some instructors prefer an entry for consistency, and Chicago's guidance on AI may be refined over time.
Citing other AI tools
The same pattern works for any generative AI tool:
| Element | APA | MLA | Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who goes first | The company that makes the tool | A description of the prompt | (in a note) the tool name, or "Text generated by" + tool |
| Tool name | Title position, italic | Container, italic | After "generated by" |
| Version | In parentheses after the title | After the container | Optional |
| Date | Year of the version | Date of your conversation | Date of your conversation |
| Bibliography or reference list | Yes | Yes | Usually no |
For image generators, describe the prompt that produced the image and follow the same structure, adapting the description (for example, [AI-generated image] in APA, if your instructor accepts that wording).
Disclosing AI use beyond quoting
Citing covers text you quote or paraphrase. Many schools also expect you to disclose other kinds of AI help, such as outlining, brainstorming, editing for grammar or translating. A short disclosure note might read:
I used ChatGPT (OpenAI) to brainstorm possible counterarguments for this essay and to check the grammar of my final draft. All arguments, analysis and sources are my own, and I verified every factual claim against the sources listed in my references.
Put this wherever your instructor asks: a footnote, an acknowledgments line or a note at the end. Keep your prompts and drafts in case you need to show how you worked.
Key takeaways
- Check your course's AI policy first; citation doesn't make prohibited use acceptable.
- APA: company as author, tool name as title, version, [Large language model], URL, with the prompt described in the text.
- MLA: prompt description first, tool as container, version, company, date, URL.
- Chicago: usually a note only, describing the tool, company, date and prompt.
- Use AI output as a lead, not as evidence; cite real sources for facts.
For more on where the lines are, see is using ChatGPT plagiarism? and how to use AI without violating academic integrity.