MLA 9th Edition

Before you start

Students, please first confirm with your professor that using ChatGPT or other content produced by generative artificial intelligence (AI) is acceptable before citing it. Your professor may also have a specific way they would like you to reference ChatGPT.

Why should you reference ChatGPT content?

References tell your reader where your information came from and how you used it in your work. If you use content created by a tool like ChatGPT, including it in your works cited - as you would with any other source - is the responsible thing to do. If you use ChatGPT to help write or structure your paper, even if you do not otherwise quote or paraphrase its content, you will likely wish to acknowledge your use of it in some manner. This provides transparency to your reader.

Are there official guidelines for citing ChatGPT?

Generative AI is a relatively new phenomenon. Many citation styles are attempting to provide guidance as to whether and how ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence technologies should be cited. Just as these technologies are rapidly changing, the citation guidance will also change. Be sure to check back regularly for any updates.

• ASK THE MLA: How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?

  As of 17 March 2023.

We are still learning how to ethically use and cite generative AI resources. As such, err on the side of transparency if you use one. Here are some ideas for citing generative AI responsibly:

• Save a transcript of your chat. Make it available to or retrievable by your reader, possibly by including it as an appendix to your work or as an online supplement.
• Describe the prompt that generated the specific ChatGPT or Bard response.
• Include the date when the response was generated or date of access. This is important as these tools will update regularly.
• Acknowledge how you used the tool. You can do this even if you only use generative AI to plan your paper or generate ideas and don't include any of its generated content.

In March 2023, MLA provided guidance for citing responses from ChatGPT or output from another generative AI tool.

Format:

"Description of chat" prompt. Name of AI tool, version of AI tool, Company, Date of chat, URL.

Example: 

"Examples of harm reduction initiatives" prompt. ChatGPT, 23 Mar. version, OpenAI, 4 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

In-Text Citation Example:

("Examples of harm reduction")

If you create a shareable link to the chat transcript, include that instead of the tool's URL.

MLA also recommends acknowledging when you used the tool in a note or your text as well as verifying any sources or citations the tool supplies.

Source:

• ASK THE MLA: How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?

  As of 17 March 2023.