APA Citation and Formatting: AI and ChatGPT

Like any technology, AI and Chat GPT have limitations, and using them for research can create challenges and present risks to researchers, including students. Many articles have been written on this topic, and below are the most common risks and limitations mentioned. A list of sources can be found at the end of this section.

• Biased Information and Misinformation: ChatGPT and other AI chat programs are known for misinformation, or false information, and for providing biased information. This happens because of the way that these programs pull information together and the sources that they draw on to get their information.
   
• Incorrect Referencing: ChatGPT and other AI chat programs compile their answers to prompts based on numerous resources, and it does not tell users where the information is from. In other words, ChatGPT and AI don’t cite their sources. Because of this, we can’t verify its sources or properly and completely cite those sources, and we can’t be sure that the information the program is using is being used in compliance with copyright laws. Even if you ask for "real" or "peer-reviewed" sources, the answer will still not contain all the data on which ChatGPT bases its answer.
   
• Incorrect Citations: ChatGPT and AI can create lists of citations that look accurate, and they may follow APA Style guidelines correctly. However, some of the resources being cited may not actually exist! If you choose to use GhatGPT or AI to create a list of sources, it is very important to use other tools, like Catalyst, to make sure that these sources really exist. It is also very important to look at the source itself, to make sure it actually provides the information required for the essay or assignment. The sources below provide more information about the risks and limitations of ChatGPT and AI. If you choose to use ChatGPT and AI for research, it’s very important to keep these risks and limitations in mind.

Sources
Code Academy. (2023). "Risks and limitations of ChatGPT". Introduction to ChatGPT. https://www.codecademy.com/learn/intro-to-chatgpt/modules/risks-and-limitations-of-chat-gpt/cheatsheet

Koender, L. & Könning, D. (2023). ChatGPT in education: What is ChatGPT capable of, and what are its limitations? Utrecht University. https://www.uu.nl/en/education/educational-development-training/knowledge-dossier/what-is-chatgpt-capable-of-and-what-are-its-limitations

Marr, B. (2023, March 3). The top 10 limitations of ChatGPT. Forbes Magazine. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/03/03/the-top-10-limitations-of-chatgpt/?sh=1ca019d98f35

MacAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). “How to cite ChatGPT”. APA Style Blog. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt

Weaver, K.D. & Muñoz Gómez, A. (2023, October 19). ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Incorrect bibliographic references. University of Waterloo Library. https://subjectguides.uwaterloo.ca/chatgpt_generative_ai/incorrectbibreferences

In his article, How to Cite ChatGPT, from the APA Style Blog, Timothy MacAdoo explains how to find each of the four elements of a reference list entry - author, date, title and source - for Chat GPT and other AI software:

• Author: The name of the author or creator of the AI software being used can usually be found in the software itself, or on a corresponding website. For example, the creator or author of Chat GPT is OpenAI. Remember that an author can be a single person, multiple people, a group like an institution or a government agency, or a combination of individuals and groups.
   
• Date: The date is the year of the version of the AI software being used. Include only the year. The version number provides the specific date information that a reader might need.
   
• Title: The name of the AI software being used is also used for the title in a reference list entry, e.g.: ChatGPT. Remember that titles are italicised in reference list entries. Different versions of AI software may be labelled. For example, OpenAI labels unique versions of their software as ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4, etc. Use only the general name, e.g.: Chat GPT. The version number is included after the title in parentheses, e.g., (Version 2.0), or (Version 4). Use the version number as it appears. Parentheses or brackets can be used in reference list entries to include additional descriptions if a reader might need help understanding what’s being cited. MacAdoo notes that, “references for common sources, like journal articles, do not include these descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.” (2023)
   
• Source: When the publisher and the author are the same, do not repeat the publisher name as a part of the source in a reference. Instead, go directly to adding the URL. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat. For other AI models or products, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source. MacAdoo recommends using the URL of the page where the AI can be accessed, not the publisher’s homepage.

Source
MacAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). “How to cite ChatGPT”. APA Style Blog. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt

Please Note! If Chat GPT or other AI tools were used for research, brainstorming ideas, generating lists of citations, or for any other purpose in the creation of an essay or assignment, it must be cited. Using ChatGPT or other AI without citing it is considered academic misconduct.

One way to cite ChatGPT or other AI tools is to describe how the tool was used in either an introduction or a methods section. In the text or body of the essay or assignment, provide the prompt that was used - what you typed into Chat GPT - followed by any relevant portion of the text that was generated in response.

It is important to note that the results of a Chat GTP session are not retrievable. In his article, How to Cite ChatGPT, from the APA Style Blog, Timothy MacAdoo writes that, “although non-retrievable data or quotations are usually cited as personal communications, with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation” (2023).

Source
MacAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). “How to cite ChatGPT”. APA Style Blog. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt

In-text Example
When prompted with, “What are some ethical considerations when conducting research involving human participants?”, the Chat GPT-generated text indicated that . . . (OpenAI, 2023).

Reference List Entry
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Please Note! The full text of long responses from ChatGPT should be included in an appendix so that the reader has access to the exact text that was generated. MacAdoo notes that, “it is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper” (2023).

Creating a Reference to ChatGPT or Other AI

Reference List Entry - Format
Author. (Date). Software. (Version) [Model]. Link.

Example
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Parenthetical Citation - Format
(Author, Date)

Example
Researchers used the prompt, "Provide a one paragraph summary of Jonas Salk's work". The following is the result: " . . " (OpenAI, 2023)

Narrative Citation - Format
Author (Date)

Example
When prompted with "Provide a one paragraph summary of Jonas Salk's work", OpenAI provided the following text: " . . ." (2023)

Source
MacAdoo, T. (2023, April 7). “How to cite ChatGPT”. APA Style Blog. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt