If you're using AI to generate text or images, you should acknowledge that in your citations, just like you would for a human author, artist, or photographer. If you are using AI for an article for publication, it is always best to check with the specific journal publishers under "Author Instructions."
Several citation guides and journals have released official or semi-official guidance on how to cite AI-generated content. You can cite AI in your work using the guidelines below.
Citations and their formatting might seem irritating, but they're an important part of providing reliable information to an audience. Writing gets its credibility from sourcing the claims it makes. Readers need to be able to fact-check a writer's sources and trace where the claims in a piece come from.
If you are using AI to help with a draft or outline, you'll want to acknowledge that with a sentence at the beginning or end of the paper that says something like, "This paper was produced with drafting support from Microsoft Copilot." It is best to check with author instuctions and guidelines on which part of the paper this statement is located.
If you are citing a conversation with an AI tool, either as a source or as an object of study, explore each section below to learn how to cite AI text generators in different styles.
If you are citing a conversation with an AI tool, either as a source or as an object of study, explore each section below to learn how to cite AI text generators in different styles.
Do not list AI as an author: The AMA Manual of Style explicitly states that AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
Acknowledge AI usage in the text
________________________________________________________________________________________________
If the AI tool was used for tasks like editing or generating content outside the core research design, acknowledge its use in the acknowledgments section.
Building Blocks
___________________________________________________________________________________
Methods section:
If the AI tool was part of your research design, describe its use in the methods section.
Examples:
"The initial draft of the manuscript was generated using ChatGPT (model GPT-4, OpenAI), with subsequent revisions and editing by the authors."
"We acknowledge the use of ChatGPT (model GPT-4, OpenAI) for generating some of the images used in this article."
Specifics for certain AI tools:
For LLMs like ChatGPT, specify the model (e.g., GPT-4), the manufacturer (e.g., OpenAI), and the date of use.
For generative AI tools, provide the tool name, version, manufacturer, and date of use.
In essence, focus on transparently disclosing how you used the AI tool and providing enough information for readers to understand its role in your work, while adhering to AMA's guidelines against listing AI as an author.
Company that made the tool (date text was generated). AI tool (version of tool) [Large language model]. URL.
In Chicago, you'll cite generative AI differently depending on whether or not you included the prompt in the text of your paper. If you included it in your paper, you don't need to repeat it in the citation.
Prompt already included in paper:
1. Text generated by [name of the AI tool], date, Company that made the tool, URL.
Prompt not yet included in paper:
1. [Name of the AI tool], response to "prompt," date text was generated, Company that made the tool, URL.
If you're referencing or including an AI-generated image in your papers, you should include information about how it was generated. This is also required for human-created artwork and some human-created photographs. In most citation styles, you don't need to include this in the works cited, only as a caption for the image.
In American Medical Association (AMA) style, citing AI-generated images is still evolving, but here’s a clear and practical approach you can use:
Building Blocks:
AMA doesn’t yet have official guidance specific to AI-generated images, so this format adapts existing AMA principles for digital and visual media. If you're submitting to a journal, it’s wise to check their specific preferences too.
Example:
[Creator]. [Title or description of image]. [AI tool name], [version if known]; [date created]. Available from: [URL if shareable]
AMA doesn’t yet have official guidance specific to AI-generated images, so this format adapts existing AMA principles for digital and visual media. If you're submitting to a journal, it’s wise to check their specific preferences too.
As of July 2025, APA has not issued specific guidance on how to cite AI-generated images. For now, cite as you would any other image, using the guidelines APA has issued for AI-generated text.
In-text citation
(Company that made the AI tool, year image was generated).
Bibliography
Company that made the AI tool. (Year image was generated). Name of the AI tool, as specifically as possible. Version of the AI tool. [AI image generator]. URL.
The Chicago Manual of Style's website recommends you cite AI-generated images like any other image, while including both the name of the AI tool that generated the image, the company that created the AI, and the prompt that generated the image.
"Prompt," image generated by Company's AI Tool, date image was generated.
