How to cite ChatGPT in APA and MLA
Both major citation styles now have official guidance for citing AI tools. Here are the formats, with examples, and the caveats that matter more than the commas.
Updated October 31, 2026 ยท By the IsThisAI? team
APA 7th edition
APA treats AI output as personal communication-like software output: cite the model as author and the company as publisher. The reference entry format is:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
In text: (OpenAI, 2023). APA also recommends including the full text of the AI response in an appendix, since the output is not retrievable by readers. Include the prompt you used so the response is reproducible in context.
MLA 9th edition
MLA's guidance treats the AI tool as the "author" in a works-cited entry:
"Describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby" prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.
In text, use a shortened title: ("Describe the symbolism"). MLA emphasizes describing the prompt because the same tool gives different answers to different prompts.
Quoting AI output in your paper? Check the quoted text with IsThisAI? first to see how it reads.
Check your text free →What the guides do not tell you
Your instructor's rule wins. If the syllabus bans AI, a perfect citation does not save you. If the instructor allows AI with disclosure, follow their disclosure format, not just APA or MLA.
Cite the idea, not just the tool. If AI helped you find a source or shaped your argument, the honest move is describing its role in a methods note or acknowledgment, not burying it in a works-cited entry nobody reads.
Do not cite AI for facts. Models invent citations, dates, and quotations. Any factual claim in your paper needs a real source you verified yourself. Citing ChatGPT for a fact is citing a confident guess.
Other styles
Chicago (17th) suggests citing AI in a note with the prompt and date, treating it like personal communication. Always check the latest edition of your required style, because this guidance is still evolving and differs between editions.
Common mistakes
Listing the AI as author without version info. Models change constantly. "ChatGPT" alone is not a useful citation; include the version and access date so readers know what you actually used.
Citing AI in place of real sources. If the model summarized a paper, find and cite the paper. Citing the model instead is like citing the friend who told you about the book.
Forgetting in-text citations. A works-cited entry with no matching in-text citation is incomplete in both APA and MLA. Every AI contribution you rely on needs both.
What about AI images and other media?
The same principles apply: credit the tool, describe the prompt, note the version. APA suggests treating AI-generated images like software output with the model as author. As with text, the key detail is reproducibility: could a reader understand what you did well enough to evaluate it.
Disclosure statements that work
When an instructor asks for disclosure, a sentence or two suffices: "I used ChatGPT (GPT-4o, October 2026) to brainstorm counterarguments for section 3 and to proofread the final draft. All analysis and conclusions are my own." Specific, honest, and short. Vague disclosures ("AI was used in the preparation of this paper") invite more questions than they answer.
Bottom line
You can cite AI tools cleanly in both APA and MLA. But formatting is the easy part. The hard part is using AI in a way your instructor allows and your argument can survive.
Sources
- APA Style, "How to cite ChatGPT." https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt
- MLA Style Center, "How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?" https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/
This guide is general information, not professional advice. AI detection results, including ours, can be wrong.