Citing sources: Citing Generative AI (ChatGPT and many others)

Generative AI: Understand Your Instructors' Policies

Thank you for visiting this informational page about citing the use of generative AI* outputs. Your thoughtful consideration of this subject is important to your growth and success as a student.

Please make sure that you understand your instructors' policies about the use of generative AI (genAI) in your coursework. If you don't know what their policies are, it is your responsibility to ask them. You are also encouraged to ask your instructors to discuss and establish a policy about the use of genAI into their syllabi if you cannot find one there.

1. To meet academic integrity standards, use of any generative AI that contributes content to your graded or assessed work requires citation.
2. GenAI outputs are not "sources." Sources are a person, thing, or place that can be specifically attributed (cited) and found by your readers. These criteria do not apply to genAI outputs. Generally, use of genAI in your work should be limited to your use of it as a tool or method, unless your instructor or assignment directs otherwise. 
3. Please contact a TCC Librarian or the TCC Writing and Tutoring Center for help in deciding when, how, and where genAI can be used to support your coursework ethically, appropriately, and effectively.

*includes, but is not limited to ChatGPT, DALL-E, CoPilot, Claude, Midjourney

Informal Citation and Formal Citation

Below are three resources for citing use of genAI. 

• Informal: Citation examples from ChatGPT by OpenAI, and Claude by Anthropic
• Formal: Citation style guidelines from APA, MLA, Chicago

Note: If your assignment directs you to cite using APA, MLA, or Chicago style, you must cite your use of genAI using APA, MLA, or Chicago guidelines, rather than using citation examples from the genAI you are using. Ask your instructor if it is unclear.

General citation tip: Citation is a service to your reader: Whatever citation style you use, use only that style, and be consistent in your formatting throughout your paper or other project. One aspect of citation that we do not talk enough about is that citation is a service to your reader, and the value of that service is increased when you cite using a single formatting style.

Disclosure: Notes and Footnotes

Use of GenAI as a Tool or Method

It is important to disclose your use of generative AI for any assigned work where your use of a genAI contributed significant support for your work*. For example, if you used generative AI to produce a set of slides for a presentation, or a chart in your paper, it is important to disclose this to your audience.

You can do this in the form of a footnote, a note, or even on a separate Appendix page at the end of a paper or presentation.

Example:

Note: The content on each slide of this presentation is my own authentic work. The set of slides used to present this content was generated by Google Gemini. 

*Note: Graded vs. ungraded use of genAI: Only use genAI to support aspects of your work that are not graded components of an assignment. For example, if you are to develop an outline for a research paper, turn it in, and receive a grade for that outline, it is probably not appropriate to use generative AI to produce the outline. If your research paper does not include an outline as a part of your graded work to turn in, it is probably ok to prompt a genAI tool to produce an outline that you would then edit and follow to do your own research, and your own writing. (You are encouraged to note that you used a genAI tool to produce your outline; transparency is always ethical and appreciated.) As always, ask your instructor if you are not sure.