On this page
Updated . Example details checked against The MLA Style Center, "How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?" (its own example).
The APA format
Pattern
Company. (Year). Name of tool (Version) [Large language model]. URL
- Author: the company that makes the tool.
- Year of the version you used.
- Version in parentheses, then [Large language model] in brackets.
- Prompt: quote it in your sentence: When prompted with “...,” ChatGPT answered... (OpenAI, 2023).
This follows APA Style’s own example for ChatGPT.
A real example
Reference entry
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
In-text citation
(OpenAI, 2023)
When details are missing
- No version: leave out the parentheses.
- Another tool: the same pattern, such as Anthropic. (2025). Claude.
Common mistakes
- A personal communication. APA says AI output is not a personal communication, since no person wrote it.
- The prompt as the title. In APA the title is the tool’s name; the prompt goes in your text.
Or let Format do it.
Choose AI-generated content and fill in your prompt, the tool, its version, the company, the date and the link to the chat if you shared it. Format writes the References entry and the in-text citation in APA 7, exactly as shown above, and builds the References page when you export to Word or PDF. MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Does each chat get its own reference?
No. One reference for the tool and version; your sentences say which prompt.
Should I add an appendix?
APA suggests it for long responses, so readers can see the full text.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in APA
Every source kind is on the APA page, and every style is on How to cite.