Citing and disclosing AI use

Citing the tool

Cite an AI tool generally — rather than a specific chat — when citing a specific chat would be unhelpful, unethical, or otherwise inappropriate, or when you just want to point to the tool's existence.

Describing what it did

Cite the AI tool in the text where appropriate, most likely in your Method section, and describe how you used it.

I used ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025) to edit my paper and provide feedback on clarity and flow.

Document the prompts you used for your own records. A prompt is not included in the reference itself — it doesn't fit the author, date, title, or source elements, and it doesn't help a reader retrieve the work — but you can describe it in the text, an appendix, or supplemental material when that helps readers.

Your program's policy comes first

This page never overrides your instructor's or program's own rules. APA Style says the details of what AI use is allowed, and how it must be disclosed, depend on your instructor, department, or publisher.

When writing for class, authors need to consider the policies and guidelines of their instructor, department, editor, publisher, or other policy-setting authority. Whether AI is allowed at all is rarely a simple yes or no — it's "yes, for some AI tools, for some purposes, and no, for others."

If a program doesn't have a set AI policy yet, ask before you rely on this page instead of guessing.