Always follow your professor's guidelines. Certain courses or assignments may not permit the use of ChatGPT or similar AI tools, while others may permit broader use within guidelines. If using AI (ChatBot), such as ChatGPT, you must provide proper citation for the content used in order to prevent academic misconduct. Citation styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago, have already provided guidelines for citing generative AI and ChatGPT specifically.

• opens new windowAI-generated Content and Citation (University of Waterloo)
  AI-generated content citation examples for APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, and more.
• opens new windowCiting Generative AI (Stonehill College, Macphaidin Library)
  AI-generative content citation examples in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles

opens new windowCiting generative AI in APA Style: Part 1-Reference formats [Official APA Style Blog]

opens new windowAPA Style: How do I cite ChatGPT? [Official APA website]

Reference:

AI Company Name. (year). Tool Name/Model in Italics and Title Case [Description: e.g., Large language model]. URL of the tool
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT-5  [Large language model]. opens new windowhttps://chatgpt.com/

In-Text Citations

Parenthetical:

(AI Company Name, year)
(OpenAI, 2025; Perplexity AI, 2025)

Narrative:

AI Company Name (year)
OpenAI (2025) 

opens new windowAPACitationStyle_ChatGPT-Infographic.pdf - by Abigail Colucci, Kari D. Weaver, Stefaniada Voichita, Jiadi Dai (University of Waterloo Library)

opens new windowMLA Style Center: How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? (Updated and Revised) [Official MLA website]

For details on how to cite paraphrasing text, quoting text, citing creative visual works, and more see the above link. 

Works Cited entry:

"Your text prompt" prompt. ChatGPT-5, OpenAI, 3 Nov. 2025, chat.URL.

In-Text citation:

("First two or three words of the prompt")

opens new windowThe Chicago Manual of Style Outline: Citation, Documentation of Sources [ChatGPT]

Chicago style recommends citing AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, DeepL Translate) in a footnote entry not a Bibliography entry.

Footnote or Endnote Format:

1. Text generated by ChatGPT, September 10 2024, OpenAI, opens new windowhttps://chatgpt.pro/.

If the prompt has not been included in the body of the text, it can be included in the note:

1. ChatGPT, response to “[query from author],” OpenAI, September 10, 2024.

Whether intentional or not, plagiarism is not tolerated and violates the opens new windowUniversity Honor Code. To familiarize yourself with the University's policy on plagiarism, search "plagiarism" in the opens new windowUniversity Catalog.

Consequences for plagiarism may include a zero on the assignment, failure in the course, academic probation, suspension, or expulsion from the program, as determined by the department and University guidelines.