How to Cite AI Tools

How to Cite AI Tools in APA Style (7th ed.)

APA's official guidance on citing ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Gemini, and other AI models

📌 Quick Summary

• In-text citation: Use the author-date format (e.g., (OpenAI, 2023)).
• Reference list entry: Treat the AI tool like software (include org., date, model name/version, type, and URL).
• Personal conversations: Cite only in text as a personal communication if the chat isn't retrievable.

🧠 In-Text Citations

Use standard APA author-date style.

• Parenthetical: (OpenAI, 2023)
• Narrative: According to OpenAI (2023), ...

📚 Reference List Examples

Use this format for publicly available AI content:

• ChatGPT:
  OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/
• Copilot:
  Microsoft. (2024). Copilot [Large language model]. https://copilot.microsoft.com/
• Gemini:
  Google. (2024). Gemini [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com/
• Claude:
  Anthropic. (2024). Claude 3 [Large language model]. https://claude.ai/
• Perplexity:
  Perplexity AI. (2024). Perplexity [Large language model]. https://www.perplexity.ai/

✉️ Citing AI Conversations Not Publicly Available

If the content came from a private session and is not accessible to others, cite it as a personal communication. Do not include it in the reference list.

Example: (ChatGPT, personal communication, July 25, 2025)