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Citing Sources

Learn about frequently-used citation styles and citation tools.

Citing Generative AI

This guide's pages about APA, MLA, and Chicago styles as well as those listed on the More Styles page all have information about the use of, and tools used for, generative AI in that style.
A few tips:

1. For Authors -- Most publishers have policies for using and citing genAI tools. When you are considering submitting to a journal or conference, please check its author guidelines for its policies about genAI.

2. Always Check Citations -- GenAI tools are very poor at giving correct citations. You will need to check them in scholarly sources such as library databases or Google Scholar. That’s a good reason to save your time by *starting* with scholarly sources when searching for information.

3. How Recent is the Information?  If you need up-to-date information, use a word like “recent,” “current,” or “latest” in your prompt, or else the genAI tool will most likely not mention when it was last updated.

I asked Google Gemini about this*: "Could the time difference between the LLM's training date and the current information cause incorrect information to be retrieved?"

ChatGPT said:

ANSWER: "Yes, the time gap between my last training update and real-time web search can sometimes lead to incorrect or misleading information in a few key ways:

The models I use have a knowledge cutoff of June 2024. This means any information about events, people, or data that has changed since that time may be out of date. This can lead to a few issues:

  • Outdated Facts: Information like a company's CEO, a country's leader, a sports champion, or a scientific consensus can change after the cutoff date.

  • Missing New Information: I won't know about new inventions, discoveries, books, movies, or events that occurred after June 2024.

  • Misleading Context: While a fact from before June 2024 might still be technically correct, its relevance or context may have changed dramatically due to more recent events.

For any question that relies on current or recent information, it's essential to verify my answers with a more up-to-date source."

*Asked on August 12, 2025.

ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)

 
  • Banner at the top of ASTM Compass, their database of standards:   "Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) on ASTM standards and related intellectual property is prohibited. Violations will result in suspension of access." 

COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) 

  • COPE is "committed to educating and supporting editors, publishers, universities, research institutes, and all those involved in publication ethics. COPE aims to move the culture of publishing towards one where ethical practices become a normal part of the culture itself."
     
  • Here is their position statement about "Authorship and AI Tools"

Hastings Center Report