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APA (American Psychological Association) Referencing Guidelines: AI Generative Tools (ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, Copilot etc.)

AI Generative Tools (ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, Copilot etc.)

American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing Guidelines - AI Generative Tools (ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, Copilot etc.)
Please note 

As with any source used in a piece of work, generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, Copilot) must be acknowledged and referenced in the usual way with a citation and reference list entry.

Guidance on referencing AI generative tools is continuing to evolve and is likely to change. Please keep checking this page for any updates (page last updated 20th September 2023).

Before beginning any piece of work, check with your lecturer that it is appropriate to use AI tools in your assignment as this may differ across modules and courses of study. 

For more information visit the Generative Artificial Intelligence Webpage - Guidance on use of AI tools for students.

APA Guidance

Please follow the guidance provided in the APA Style Blog on How to Cite ChatGPT.  This includes guidance on:

  • Quoting or reproducing the text created by ChatGPT in your paper

  • Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software

 

If the AI’s end product (e.g. response to a prompt from ChatGPT) is only available to you, reference as a software program or algorithm. Check with your lecturer as they may require you to provide a copy of the response – this should be included in the appendix to your work.

Example of Parenthetical in-text citation:

When prompted with “How does the Library improve information literacy skills?” ChatGPT suggested benefits including access to diverse information sources, the curation of high-quality materials and the promotion of critical thinking (Open AI, 2023). A copy of this response is in Appendix 1.

Example of Narrative in-text citation

When prompted with “How does the Library improve information literacy skills?” Open AI (2023) generative AI tool ChatGPT suggested benefits including access to diverse information sources, the curation of high- quality materials and the promotion of critical thinking.  A copy of this response is in Appendix 1.

Follow this format for reference list entry:

Author of AI program. (Year of the program version). Name of AI in italics (Version if applicable) [Description of program]. Publisher, if different from the author. URL, if applicable


Open AI. (2023). ChatGPT (Aug 3 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat