How to cite ChatGPT and other AI tools in APA 7

APA updated its AI guidance in September 2025, and again in April 2026. If a guide tells you to write something like “(Mar 14 version)” or to paste your prompt into the reference, it’s using the old 2023 format.

There are now two ways to cite an AI tool: cite a specific chat (when you have a shareable link), or cite the tool in general.

Citing a specific chat

Use this when you can share a link to the conversation and seeing it would help your reader.

AI Company. (Year, Month Day). Title of chat [Generative AI chat]. Tool Name. URL

OpenAI. (2026, March 3). Study plan for a biology midterm [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/example-id

• The author is the company that makes the tool (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic). The AI itself is never the author.
• The date is the day the chat took place.
• The title is the chat’s title, in italics and sentence case. APA suggests renaming the chat in the tool to something descriptive before you cite it.
• After the title, add a description in square brackets, such as [Generative AI chat].
• Then give the tool or model name (for example ChatGPT or Gemini) and the shared link.

Citing the tool in general

Use this when a specific chat wouldn’t help your reader or would be inappropriate to share, for example when you used AI to edit or translate your own writing.

AI Company. (Year). Tool Name [Description]. URL

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com

• The year is when the tool was last updated. If the site doesn’t show one, use its copyright year. These years change often, so check the tool’s site rather than copying the example above.
• [Large language model] fits most chat tools, but use whatever description fits.
• The company isn’t repeated as the publisher. The reference ends with the tool’s URL.

Version numbers and prompts

• Version numbers aren’t needed. Give the model name if you know it. If the tool shows a version, you may add it in parentheses after the tool name.
• Prompts don’t go in the reference. Describe how you used AI in your text, for example in your methods section, and put long prompts or outputs in an appendix if they help your reader. Check what your instructor expects.

In-text citations

Use the company name and the year from your reference.

• Parenthetical: (OpenAI, 2026)
• Narrative: OpenAI (2026)

I asked ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2026) to suggest a two-week study plan, then adapted it to my class schedule.

When you don’t need to cite AI

APA says you don’t need to cite AI that you used like a search engine. Cite the real sources you found and read instead. The same goes for AI features built into everyday software, like spelling suggestions in a word processor.

Many instructors and schools have their own rules about AI use. Their policy comes first.