In a post from April 7, 2023, APA offers some guidance on citing AI-generated materials and AI software.
Text Created by AI tools
First, they suggest ensuring you describe how you used the AI tool in your research in a method section or comparable section of your paper.
APA also suggests that given that AI generated content like chats are not created by a person, that they cannot be considered personal communication. Instead, treat the content as an algorithm's output, and credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and in-text citation.
You can also put the full text of long responses in an appendix or online supplemental materials.
Reference List
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
In-Text Citation
For a direct quote or paraphrase, use the following format. Note: OpenAI is the author not ChatGPT.
(Author, Year)
Example:
(OpenAI, 2023)
References to ChatGPT or other AI models
APA suggests using the template for software to cite ChatGPT or other AI software.
Reference
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
In-Text Citation
Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)
IEEE does not cite AI generated text for publication and does not consider AI generated text a valid reference.
No matter where you get your information, you need to make sure you critically evaluate each source to ensure it’s appropriate for your research! Many publications have a particular bias or agenda, which may not be obvious at first glance.
Here are a few criteria that could help you in your evaluation:
Authority
Accuracy
Scope
There are other criteria to consider as well, such as currency, objectivity, and purpose. For more information, see UBC Library’s Evaluating Information Sources.