How to Cite ChatGPT in APA, MLA and Chicago

plagiarism-checker-online.net Editorial Team  |  Updated October 3, 2026

You asked ChatGPT to explain something, and now a sentence from that answer is in your paper. The citation rules for this are only a few years old, and they've already changed: APA and MLA both revised their guidance in 2025. Many guides online still show the older formats. Below are the current templates for APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago, the same example cited in all three styles, the mistakes that come up most, and the difference between citing AI and disclosing it.

Templates checked October 3, 2026. Style bodies update their guidance, so use this page as a starting point and compare with the sources listed at the bottom, especially for graded work and journal submissions.

When You Need to Cite ChatGPT

The three style bodies agree on the core rule. Cite when ChatGPT's output ends up in your work:

• Quoted text. You reproduce its words. Use quotation marks and a citation.
• Paraphrased text. You restate its answer in your own words. It's still its idea or explanation, so cite it.
• Ideas or structure you relied on. If an outline or argument came from it, say so according to your style and policy.
• Editing-only use. Grammar fixes or translation don't produce a quotation, but MLA says to acknowledge functional uses like editing prose or translating words in a note, in your text or another suitable place. Chicago says to acknowledge edits you make to AI-generated text.

Before you format anything, read your course policy. Some courses ban AI entirely, some allow it with a citation, and some want a separate disclosure. Our overview of university AI policies shows the usual approaches, and AI writing in academic papers covers the grey areas.

APA 7: Reference Entry and In-Text Citation

APA changed its recommendation in September 2025. The older guidance, published in 2023, treated ChatGPT as software and cited the tool only, with a format like OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat. That post is now marked as archival, and you'll still find it copied in many university guides. The current APA approach is to cite the specific chat when that serves your reader, and to cite the tool in general only when citing the chat would be unhelpful, unethical or inappropriate, or when you only want to mention that the tool exists.

Template for a specific chat:

AI company name. (Year, Month Day). Title of chat [Generative AI chat]. Tool name/model. URL of the chat

Template for the tool in general:

AI company name. (Year). Tool name/model [Large language model]. URL of the tool

Example for the general format: OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/

In-text: parenthetical (OpenAI, 2026) or narrative OpenAI (2026). The company is the author, and the year is the year of the chat. If you can't share the chat, ask your instructor whether to cite the tool in general instead. APA's archived 2023 post also suggested putting the full text of long responses in an appendix or online supplemental materials, which still helps readers because ChatGPT gives different answers to the same prompt.

MLA 9: Prompt as Title, ChatGPT as Container

The MLA Style Center published an updated version of its guidance on August 13, 2025. Two changes matter. A stable, shareable URL for the conversation is now preferred over the general link to the tool, and the model name or number should go in the version element. MLA does not treat the AI tool as an author.

Template:

"Description of the prompt" prompt. Tool, model name or version, Publisher, Date generated, shareable URL.

MLA's own example for the works-cited list: "Describe the theme of nature in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park" prompt. ChatGPT, model GPT-4o, OpenAI, 23 Sept. 2024, chatgpt.com/share/[unique link]. The in-text citation is a shortened version of the prompt in parentheses, such as ("Describe the theme"). If you don't name the prompt in your sentence, the shortened title is how the reader finds the entry. MLA notes that a long prompt can be described more generally, because a chat may include several prompts.

If the tool offers no stable link, MLA allows the general URL of the tool.

Chicago: A Note, Usually Not a Bibliography Entry

The Chicago Manual of Style's online Q&A, which relies on the 18th edition (2024), says you need to credit ChatGPT and similar tools whenever you use the text they generate. For most kinds of writing you can simply name the tool in your sentence. If you need a formal citation, for example in a student paper or a research article, a numbered footnote or endnote works. The 18th edition covers this in section 14.112.

Note templates (from the Chicago FAQ):

1. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, Month Day, Year, URL.

1. ChatGPT, response to "Prompt text," OpenAI, Month Day, Year, URL.

The URL is the one copied from the Share button. If you edited the generated text, Chicago says to state that in your text or at the end of the note, for example "edited for style and content". Chicago generally leaves AI conversations out of the bibliography. If you do include one, library guides summarizing CMOS 18 give the form Publisher. Description of AI use. Name and version of AI tool, Month Day, Year. URL., listed under the company rather than the tool. If you use the 17th edition, check the Chicago Q&A and your instructor's preference, since the FAQ is written for the 18th.

The Same ChatGPT Answer Cited in Three Styles

Imagine you asked ChatGPT on October 3, 2026: "Explain the difference between a thesis statement and a topic sentence." The chat, its title and its share link are invented for this illustration. Replace the bracketed parts with your own.

Notice what differs. APA puts the company in the author position and gives the chat a title. MLA has no author and uses the prompt as the title. Chicago describes what happened in a note and normally keeps it out of the bibliography. If your university uses Harvard, follow its own library guide, because Harvard rules differ between institutions and we won't guess at one.

Common Mistakes

• Citing ChatGPT as the source of a fact. It can state errors with confidence. When the APA Style team asked ChatGPT for sources on a topic, one of the five references it returned did not seem to be a real article. The MLA Style Center warns that AI tools can hallucinate sources and recommends consulting and citing the sources the tool links to, not the AI response.
• Not saving the chat. Answers change between sessions. Use the share link where available and keep your own copy of the transcript with the date.
• Using the wrong date. APA wants the date of the chat, MLA the date the content was generated. Don't use the day you finished the paper.
• Treating ChatGPT as a person. MLA says not to treat the tool as an author. APA names the company, not the tool, as author.
• Copying an outdated template. The "(Mar 14 version)" format from 2023 is still all over the web. Check the current style page.
• Citing and stopping there. If your policy asks for disclosure, a reference entry alone may not be enough, as the next section explains.

Cite AI vs. Disclose AI

A citation points to specific content: this sentence came from that chat. A disclosure describes your process: I used an AI tool to brainstorm, to outline, to check grammar. Some courses want only citations, some want a disclosure statement, and some want both. Style bodies also treat the two differently. MLA, for example, asks you to acknowledge functional uses like editing or translating in a note or in your text even when no AI wording appears in your paper.

A good disclosure names the tool, the date, what you used it for, and what you did with the output. If you're not sure how to phrase that, our free AI usage statement tool builds one from your notes and exports it to Word. For where this sits in an integrity process, see what to do if you're accused of using AI, which explains why a clear record of your process helps.

A citation identifies an output; a disclosure explains the tool's role in your work. Our AI disclosure statement guide gives separate templates for outlining, editing, code assistance and permitted generated prose, with checks for documenting only what you actually did.

Check Your References Before You Submit

Two quick checks save points. First, make sure every source you cite exists. Our Source Check compares up to 20 references against Crossref and marks each as verified, partial or not found, which is useful if any AI-suggested source slipped into your list. Second, format the rest of your reference list consistently. Our citation generator handles books, articles and websites in APA 7, Harvard and Chicago. It doesn't have an AI-source type, so write the ChatGPT entry by hand from the templates above. For general citation rules, see how to cite properly.

When the paper is finished, scan it. A plagiarism scan shows you passages that match published text, including any AI-generated sentences that mirror existing sources. It won't tell you whether AI was used, but it catches uncited overlap. Our guide on whether ChatGPT can check for plagiarism explains why a chatbot isn't a substitute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to cite ChatGPT?

Yes, whenever you quote it, paraphrase it or incorporate its output into your work. The MLA Style Center says to cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote or incorporate content it created, and the Chicago Manual of Style says you need to credit ChatGPT and similar tools whenever you use the text they generate. Your course policy comes first: some instructors ban AI use or ask for a disclosure statement instead.

Can I cite ChatGPT as a source for facts?

You can cite it for what it said, but it is a weak source for facts because it can state errors with confidence and invent references. The MLA Style Center recommends consulting and citing the sources an AI tool links to instead of the AI response itself. Find the real study, book or official page, read it, and cite that.

How do I cite a ChatGPT conversation I can't share?

First check whether the chat can be shared with the Share button, since APA, MLA and Chicago all prefer a link to the specific chat. If it can't be shared, MLA allows the general URL of the tool, and in APA you can cite the tool in general instead of the chat. APA's archived 2023 post also suggested putting the full text of long responses in an appendix. Ask your instructor which they prefer, and save the full transcript with its date either way, in case they ask to see it.

How do I cite other AI tools such as Gemini, Claude or Copilot?

Use the same template and swap in the tool. In APA the company is the author, for example Google for Gemini or Anthropic for Claude, with the tool or model name after the chat title. In MLA the tool is the container and the company is the publisher. In Chicago the note names the tool and its publisher. If your university uses Harvard, follow its own library guide, because Harvard rules differ between institutions.

Is using ChatGPT with a citation still plagiarism?

A citation credits the source, but it doesn't make a use allowed. If your course bans AI tools for an assignment, citing the output doesn't fix that. If your course allows AI use, citing or disclosing it correctly is what keeps you on the right side of the policy. When in doubt, ask your instructor and keep the evidence of what you did.

Sources

• APA Style Blog: Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 1, Reference formats (McAdoo, Denneny, & Lee, September 9, 2025). The 2023 post, How to cite ChatGPT, is retained for archival purposes only.
• Duke University Libraries: Citing artificial intelligence (AI) (library guide quoting the current APA templates, used to cross-check them)
• MLA Style Center: How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? (Updated and Revised), August 13, 2025
• The Chicago Manual of Style Online: Q&A on citing content generated by artificial intelligence (relies on the 18th edition, section 14.112)

This article is part of our Citation and Referencing Guide.