AI-generated Image Citation in APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard
Style rules checked October 23, 2026 · Next check by January 21, 2027 · AI-assisted source and citation checks; not human review
The short answer: To cite this aI-generated image in APA 7, list the AI tool developer for a shared chat, chat date, chat title or description, generative AI chat descriptor, tool/model and shared chat URL, in that order. Every citation below comes from a real citation engine, in APA Style 7th edition, MLA Handbook 9th edition, Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition (notes and bibliography) and Cite Them Right 12th edition (author-date/Harvard).
Examples in every style
Real image documented in MLA's current guide
MLA's revised 2025 article documents its own DALL-E 3 image, generated September 23, 2024, from an expressionist beach-scene prompt. This reference identifies that documented generation; no image was generated by this website.
| Style | Form | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| APA | Reference list entry | OpenAI. (2024, September 23). Expressionist beach scene [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/66f1c3a3-3f90-8000-9750-82c57c4a6592 |
| APA | In text | (OpenAI, 2024) |
| APA | In text, narrative | OpenAI (2024) |
| MLA | Reference list entry | “Create an expressionist-style image of two people standing on a beach looking at the ocean.” Prompt. DALL-E, Version 3, OpenAI, 23 Sept. 2024, chatgpt.com/share/66f1c3a3-3f90-8000-9750-82c57c4a6592. |
| MLA | In text | (“Create an expressionist-style image of two people standing on a beach looking at the ocean”) |
| MLA | In text, narrative | “Create an expressionist-style image of two people standing on a beach looking at the ocean” |
| Chicago | Bibliography entry | Not displayed: Checked public Chicago AI Q&A is text-focused and does not establish an image-specific bibliography template. |
| Chicago | First note | Create an Expressionist-Style Image of Two People Standing on a Beach Looking at the Ocean, AI-generated image, in DALL-E, version DALL-E 3, OpenAI, September 23, 2024, https://chatgpt.com/share/66f1c3a3-3f90-8000-9750-82c57c4a6592. |
| Chicago | Short note | Create an Expressionist-Style Image of Two People Standing on a Beach Looking at the Ocean. |
| Harvard | Reference list entry | Not displayed: No matching verified Cite Them Right12 AI-image guidance; checked current institutional answer is explicitly13th. |
| Harvard | In text | (Create an expressionist-style image of two people standing on a beach looking at the ocean, 2024) |
| Harvard | In text, narrative | Create an expressionist-style image of two people standing on a beach looking at the ocean (2024) |
Synthetic image-generation record
Illustrative metadata for an imagined image prompt. No output image, generation test or share URL actually exists; this is a citation-data example only. The source details in this example are made up to show the format.
| Style | Form | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| APA | Reference list entry | Example AI Company. (2025, March 6). Source cards image conversation [Generative AI chat]. Example Image Tool. |
| APA | In text | (Example AI Company, 2025) |
| APA | In text, narrative | Example AI Company (2025) |
| MLA | Reference list entry | “A desk with three clearly labeled source cards.” Prompt. Example Image Tool, Version Example model, Example AI Company, 6 Mar. 2025. |
| MLA | In text | (“A desk with three clearly labeled source cards”) |
| MLA | In text, narrative | “A desk with three clearly labeled source cards” |
| Chicago | Bibliography entry | Not displayed: No source-verified image-specific bibliography rule in checked public Chicago guidance. |
| Chicago | First note | A Desk with Three Clearly Labeled Source Cards, AI-generated image, in Example Image Tool, version Example model, Example AI Company, March 6, 2025. |
| Chicago | Short note | A Desk with Three Clearly Labeled Source Cards. |
| Harvard | Reference list entry | Not displayed: Pinned12 mismatch with current13th guidance. |
| Harvard | In text | (A desk with three clearly labeled source cards, 2025) |
| Harvard | In text, narrative | A desk with three clearly labeled source cards (2025) |
How the styles differ for this source
| Style | Order of elements | What is different | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA Style 7th edition | AI tool developer for a shared chat, then chat date, then chat title or description, then generative AI chat descriptor, then tool/model, then shared chat URL | APA's April 2026 guidance defines a recoverable shared-chat reference with developer, date, chat title, descriptor, tool and URL. The APA example identifies that conversation, not a generic artwork entry. | Style guide |
| MLA Handbook 9th edition | prompt or generated-image description, then AI tool, then model version, then company, then generation date, then stable share URL when available | MLA's revised August 2025 guide explicitly says not to treat AI as an author and provides an image example with prompt, model and a public share URL. | Style guide |
| Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition (notes and bibliography) | describe use and identify tool, then company, then generation or access date, then recoverable shared record when relevant | Chicago's public AI Q&A concerns generated text. Its tool-credit principle is relevant background, not an image-specific reference rule or permission determination. | Style guide |
| Cite Them Right 12th edition (author-date/Harvard) | identify whether your generated image or an image credited to another creator, then company or named creator as applicable, then year, then image description, then AI tool/model, then location and access details | The current Worcester institutional answer explicitly applies Cite Them Right 13th. The site's engine is pinned 12th; it cannot honestly be called a verified current Harvard AI-image formatter. | Style guide |
Edge cases
- You follow MLA's current AI guidance. Do not put the AI tool in the author position. Identify the prompt or description, tool and relevant version, company, date and stable share URL when available. Style guide. Applies to MLA Handbook 9th edition.
- You use an APA shared-chat reference. Use the current APA chat guidance rather than blindly copying a generic artwork template. A recoverable chat and an isolated generated image are different evidence objects. Style guide. Applies to APA Style 7th edition.
- Your course asks for Harvard. Name the exact required variant and edition. Worcester's public AI-image guidance explicitly uses Cite Them Right 13 th, while this site's current engine is pinned 12 th. Style guide. Applies to Cite Them Right 12th edition (author-date/Harvard).
- You reproduce the generated image in your paper. MLA's current guide explicitly discusses a figure caption identifying the prompt, tool, model, company, date and location. A citation does not itself decide whether your assignment permits AI images. Style guide. Applies to MLA Handbook 9th edition.
Common mistakes
Listing DALL-E as a human author in MLA
MLA's revised guidance expressly rejects AI tools as authors.
Not this: DALL-E entered as the family name of a person
Do this (MLA Handbook 9th edition, reference list entry): “Create an expressionist-style image of two people standing on a beach looking at the ocean.” Prompt. DALL-E, Version 3, OpenAI, 23 Sept. 2024, chatgpt.com/share/66f1c3a3-3f90-8000-9750-82c57c4a6592.
Calling the pinned Harvard output a verified 13 th-edition rule
The installed style and the cited current institutional answer are different editions.
Not this: Harvard latest edition claimed without matching engine evidence
Example not displayed (Cite Them Right 12th edition (author-date/Harvard), reference list entry): No matching verified Cite Them Right12 AI-image guidance; checked current institutional answer is explicitly13th.
Treating a synthetic record as a generated image
The second example is invented citation metadata only.
Not this: A fictional prompt presented as a real generated and inspected artwork
Do this (MLA Handbook 9th edition, reference list entry): “A desk with three clearly labeled source cards.” Prompt. Example Image Tool, Version Example model, Example AI Company, 6 Mar. 2025.
Check before you cite
- Identify whether you cite a shared chat, generated file or someone else's published image.
- Record the actual tool, company, model and generation date.
- Keep the prompt or a clear description according to the assigned style.
- Use a real recoverable share URL if one exists.
- Disclose your actual AI use and follow the assignment's rules.
- Verify the exact Harvard variant instead of assuming one universal rule.
Is this the right source type?
Identify the object you need to document before choosing a template: a shared conversation, an image file you generated and an image published by someone else are not identical sources. MLA's revised 2025 guidance explicitly avoids treating an AI tool as an author and provides a generated-image example with its prompt, model, company, date and public share URL. The real example here is that documented MLA creation, not an image generated by this website. APA's current guidance has also moved beyond the early generic software examples: its shared-chat format identifies the developer, conversation and recoverable location, while MLA explicitly describes how to identify an AI image in a figure caption. Do not force one identical metadata object into every style and assume all four outputs are authoritative. The Harvard limit is especially concrete: the public Worcester answer names Cite Them Right 13 th, while this site's installed style is 12 th. That difference must remain visible until a matching formatter is verified. Finally, a citation describes a source; it does not establish that an assignment allows AI images or settle the rights associated with reproducing one.
Frequently asked questions
No. MLA's own revised guide documents that image and its model, prompt, date and share URL. This page uses it as a citation example.
No. MLA's revised guidance says not to treat the AI tool as an author.
No. Its pinned Cite Them Right edition is 12 th; the checked Worcester AI-image answer explicitly describes the 13 th edition.
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