How to cite ChatGPT and other AI tools in academic papers (APA, MLA, Chicago)
The current 2025 guidelines from APA, MLA, and Chicago for citing AI-generated content, and when you don't need to cite it at all.
Citation styles have caught up to AI. Here's how the three big style guides handle AI citations in 2025, and the practical decisions you'll need to make.
APA 7 format
Treat the AI as the author and the year as the date you accessed it. Example: OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (Sept 1 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com. In-text: (OpenAI, 2025). If the AI generated specific content you used, include the prompt in a footnote or supplementary materials.
MLA 9 format
Title the AI 'output' as the source. Example: '"Describe the symbolism in The Great Gatsby" prompt. ChatGPT, 4o version, OpenAI, 1 Sept. 2025, chat.openai.com.' In-text: ('Describe the symbolism').
Chicago format
Footnote: Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, September 1, 2025, https://chat.openai.com. No bibliography entry required because AI outputs are not retrievable in their original form.
When you don't need to cite
Using AI to fix grammar, format citations, or rephrase your own sentences doesn't require citation, it's the same as using a spell checker. Brainstorming with AI for ideas you then develop into your own argument doesn't require citation. The line is: if specific language or specific facts from the AI made it into your paper, cite it. If only the thinking process used the AI, you don't.
Check the syllabus first
Some professors require disclosure of any AI use, including spell-check-level use. Others don't. The syllabus governs. When in doubt, ask in writing, and keep the response.
The bigger principle
Citation isn't about following rules. It's about transparency. If a reasonable person reading your paper would want to know whether an idea came from you or from another source, cite it. AI citation is just the newest instance of an old principle.